Of course, I wonder if that unit is sufficiently built for V8 torque, but the seller doesn’t report any issues there. The interior presents well, with thickly-bolstered black leather seats, a crack-free dash and the desirable Mazda-sourced 5-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, it’s not quite finished as the seller notes the need for engine computer tuning. The seller has added some other modifications, including Trick Flow aluminum heads and matched camshaft with new lifters, and a Ford Cobra intake manifold.

They’re increasingly uncommon in this era of turbocharging we’re in, and I can’t imagine the power gains are all that different between the two engines (despite the extra cylinders). Now, I’m a bit conflicted myself on this build, as I do love factory supercharged cars. Find it here on eBay with no reserve and cheap bidding at the moment.

While some may wish it was still an original SC underneath, the potential is there for anyone hankering for a V8-powered, 5-speed Thunderbird. The stock V6 was replaced with a 302 stroked to 347 cubic inches, and it needs some fine-tuning before it’s a reliable runner. While this may look like an ordinary Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe, there’s some changes made under the hood that make better use of that 5-speed manual transmission.

88 thunderbird super coupe