← Ford
Ford / Model record

FordThunderbird (eighth generation)

1980–1982 United States Personal luxury car 3 production years
Production1980–1982
Recorded originUnited States
ClassPersonal luxury car
Background

The eighth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford from the 1980 to 1982 model years. Introduced to commemorate the 25th year of the Thunderbird, the eighth generation was substantially downsized, transitioning further into the mid-size segment. For a second generation, the Thunderbird remained the Ford counterpart of the Mercury Cougar XR7; while the Cougar again served as a complete line of mid-sized cars in various body styles starting with 1981 models, the Thunderbird was offered solely as a two-door personal luxury coupe.

Text adapted from “Ford Thunderbird (eighth generation)” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · retrieved 2026-07

Chronology ledger

Dates with their meaning intact

Production chronology1980–1982

Sourced production or model lifecycle range used by the main catalog timeline.

Wikipedia lead ↗3 years