The tenth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car that was produced by Ford for the 1989 to 1997 model years. It was introduced on December 26, 1988 as a 1989 model alongside its sister car, the Mercury Cougar. Developed on Ford's new MN12 (Mid-Size North American Project 12) platform from the second quarter of 1984, the new Thunderbird featured a more aerodynamic body that was slightly shorter in overall length relative to the 1988 Thunderbird but had a nine-inch-longer wheelbase.
This generation is also notable for being the only generation that had exterior "FORD" badging of any kind, as Ford's Blue Oval emblem graced the trunk lid. Traditionally, Thunderbird models lacked any kind of "FORD" emblems on the car. For the 1991 model year, Ford reintroduced a V8 option with the Windsor 5.0. The engine was used through the 1993 model year and was rated at 200 horsepower. On the television program MotorWeek in a review of the 1991 Thunderbird and similar Mercury Cougar, a road test of a V8-equipped Thunderbird revealed that the car could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 9.2 seconds; approximately two seconds faster than a standard V6 Thunderbird but about two seconds slower than a Super Coupe.
