The 1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was that year's Motor Trend 'Car of the Year'. Quite an honor for a model line that had looked dead in the water at the start of the '80s! The award was certainly deserved: Ford had poured plenty of engineering know-how into their revamp of the '87 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.

Its 2.3 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine was now offered with the air-to-air intercooler also seen in the Ford Mustang SVO; this reengineering brought the Turbo Coupe's output up to a whopping 190 horsepower when combined with 5-speed manual transmission. The Turbo Coupe was also available with a new 4-speed automatic transmission, with a maximum output of 150 horsepower. In addition, the flagship Turbo Coupe came with performance extras like anti-lock disc brakes and Automatic Ride control.

The rest of the 1987 Thunderbird line got a slight shakeup in terms of its trim offerings. The Elan model was discontinued; it was replaced by new LX and Sport models. The Sport trim came standard with the 5.0 liter fuel-injected V-8 engine; the LX shipped with the Essex V-6.

A new swept-back aerodynamic redesign made the '87 Ford Thunderbird sleeker than ever. With its newly flush-mounted headlights and narrower grille, the '87 T-Bird had a sharp, forward-looking appeal. Fuel efficiency remained solid, with maximum highway mileage ranging from 24 to 30 miles per gallon.