In 1989, Ford once again undertook a total redesign of the Thunderbird line. The 1989 Ford Thunderbird was longer and lower than the preceding generation, and weighed in at roughly the same 3,600 pounds. Nonetheless, Ford decided to drop the V8 option (why?!) which drew complaints from T-Bird loyalists who missed the muscle under the hood.

The base and LX trims were nice-looking cars, with the sleeker, swoopier styling. Some drivers found them a little sluggish: the 3.8 liter V6 put out just 140 horsepower, which didn't live up to the TBird tradition of power and performance.

Where the '89 Thunderbird did shine, though, was in its top-of-the line coupe. Renamed and re-engineered for 1989, the Thunderbird Super Coupe sported the supercharged 3.8 liter V-6 with intercooling, and put out a healthy 210 horsepower and 315 lb.-ft. of torque. Fuel injection was controlled by computer (quite a cutting-edge technology in 1989).

Reviewers raved about the 1989 Thunderbird Super Coupe: in fact, it was the Motor Trend 'Car of the Year'. Despite the good buzz around the top-end trim, overall sales of the '89 Ford Thunderbird were not what the guys in Dearborn were hoping for.