1980 · Ford · United States
1980 Ford Thunderbird: The Downsized Eighth Generation
The downsized eighth-generation Thunderbird; the 302 V-8 with Automatic Overdrive was standard only on the Silver Anniversary.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
This record's own dek states that 1980 brought the downsized eighth-generation Thunderbird, and that the 302 V-8 with Automatic Overdrive was standard only on the Silver Anniversary; this record's own overview repeats that the 1980 catalog gives the 4.2-liter (255 CID) V-8 with SelectShift as the standard power team on all Thunderbirds except the Silver Anniversary, which instead had the 5.0-liter (302 CID) V-8 with Automatic Overdrive standard, the 5.0 being optional on other models where it required the Automatic Overdrive transmission.
This record's own overview also states that Wikipedia rates the 1980-81 4.2 V-8 at 115 horsepower and the 5.0 V-8 at 131 horsepower; this record's own engines section carries those same two ratings against the same two displacements, each cross-sourced to both the 1980 catalog's own EPA table footnote and to Wikipedia's eighth-generation engines paragraph rather than to either source alone. The 5.0 is recorded with 2-barrel induction; the 4.2's induction field is left blank, since this record's own text does not state it.1
This record's own overview also states that Wikipedia's eighth-generation production table gives 156,803 Thunderbirds for 1980 across all bodies and engines, with no body, engine or option split found in a citable source; this record's own production section carries that same 156,803 figure as its single row, labeled a whole-line total rather than a performance-configuration count, with its own note repeating that no citable split was found for the year. This record's own coverage field is marked partial rather than complete, and its own keyFacts, options, paint, interiors, performance and conflicts sections are all empty for 1980.1
This record's own prices section gives $6,432 for the base Thunderbird, quoting Curbside Classic's own sentence directly: "Inflation had run the price up to $6,432," with a note that Silver Anniversary and other 1980 trim prices were not found in this pass; a separate priceNotes field adds that a J.D. Power live-valuation figure once stood in this section's place before being pulled from every page on the site over the same independent-verification concerns this record's other priceNotes entries describe.2
This record's own transmissions section carries the Automatic Overdrive as standard on the Silver Anniversary and required with the 5.0 on other models, alongside the SelectShift automatic as standard with the 4.2, both sourced to the catalog's own EPA table footnote. Neither transmission entry carries a code or a production figure, since this record's own code and production fields for both rows are left blank, mirroring the same pattern in the engines section above it.
This record's own specifications section gives a single figure, an 18-gallon fuel tank, with a note that early production carried a smaller 17.5-gallon tank instead; no wheelbase, length, width, height or curb weight figure is recorded for 1980, since this record's own specifications array holds only the fuel-tank row. This record's own identification section adds the catalog's own form number, Form 148-Rev., dated 1/80, printed in the lower left of the back cover, the only identification detail this record carries for the year.
Fact sheet · 1980 · United States
The numbers
1980 Ford Thunderbird — The downsized eighth-generation Thunderbird; the 302 V-8 with Automatic Overdrive was standard only on the Silver Anniversary.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Thunderbirds, 1980 model year (every series, body and engine)1 not stated by source Whole-line total, not a performance-configuration count. | 156,803 | built, model-year | Reported |
No citable production split by body style, engine or option was found for this year; the only production figure is the whole-line total.
Prices when new *
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderbird (base)2 | $6,432 | base price as reported by Curbside Classic (list basis not stated), 1980 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
This page used to also show a price sourced to J.D. Power's live valuation pages, pulled from every page on this site on 2026-09-24 because those pages can change without our knowing and we have no way to check them independently. A price for this car elsewhere that looks suspiciously exact to what J.D. Power showed may be quoting that same figure rather than confirming it — several sites we checked turned out to be doing exactly that, without saying so.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0-liter (302 CID) 2V V-81 302 cu in · 2-barrel | 131 hp (not stated by source) | standard on Silver Anniversary; optional on others | Not yet sourced |
| 4.2-liter (255 CID) V-81 255 cu in | 115 hp (not stated by source) | standard except Silver Anniversary | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic Overdrive | standard on Silver Anniversary; required with the 5.0 on other models | Not yet sourced |
| SelectShift automatic | standard with 4.2 | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel tank | 18 gal | all (17.5 gal in early production) |
Identification
- Catalog
- Form 148-Rev., 1/80.
Same model year
Also in 1980
- AMC AMX The last car to wear the AMX name: for 1980 the Spirit AMX lost its V8 option and ran only with the 258 six. An unattributed secondary report puts deliveries at 865.
- AMC Gremlin X and Spirit AMX The last car to wear the AMX name: for 1980 the Spirit AMX lost its V8 option and ran only with the 258 six. An unattributed secondary report puts deliveries at 865.
- Buick Regal Turbo, Grand National and GNX Quad headlamps and an aluminum intake arrived, but turbo Sport Coupe production fell to 6,276.
- Buick Riviera Turbo S Type in its second year; totals agree at 48,621 but the S Type count does not.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS RPO Z15 Super Sport trim on the fifth-generation El Camino; no production count from a verifiable source was found.
- Mercury Capri RS and ASC/McLaren 79,984 Capris were produced; the Turbo RS listed at $6,935 with the 2.3 turbo four.
- Mercury Cougar Outside the muscle focus: 58,028 Cougars for 1980 per Wikipedia's table.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 (W-30) was a $1,425 black-or-white option on the Cutlass Calais coupe with the Cutlass line's only 350 V-8, and the Standard Catalog counts 886 installed.
- Plymouth Road Runner The final year of the Road Runner name in Plymouth's catalog.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am The Turbo Trans Am arrives: a turbocharged 301, an Indy 500 pace car, and 50,896 Trans Ams, every one an automatic.
- Pontiac Grand Prix Final SJ year by the compiled tables; 7,087 SJ built.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans By 1980 the LeMans's strongest listed engine was a 301 four-barrel with automatic only, and its sporting content had narrowed to a Rally handling package and rally gages.