Flying ‘Bird – record-setting 1989 Ford Thunderbird heads to auction
Kurt Ernst - hemmings.com

Lyn St. James’s record-setting 1989 Ford Thunderbird. Photos courtesy Motostalgia Auctions.

Over the course of her racing career, Lyn St. James demonstrated her talent in a variety of vehicles and series. Of all her cars, the one perhaps most alien to her was a 1989 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe, built by Bill Elliott’s shop for the sole purpose of breaking closed-course speed records. Even in this, she proved to be a quick study, setting a new bar of 212.577 MPH at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway in October of 1988. On March 11, this record-setting Ford, still owned by St. James, crosses the block at Motostalgia’s Amelia Island sale.

St. James was no stranger to the revered Alabama track, having set a women’s closed course speed record of 204.233 MPH there in 1985. That time around, the car was a Ford Probe GTP, not dissimilar to the Argo JM16 prototype the Ohio native had raced during the 1984 and early 1985 IMSA seasons. The Thunderbird she was to drive in the fall of 1988 was different than any car she’d previously raced, more akin to a NASCAR stocker than a nimble Trans Am car or prototype. When Elliott asked her how the car felt during a pit stop, St. James replied with, “I don’t know who’s driving this thing, because I can’t feel it,” she recalled in video produced for The Henry Ford. Elliott replied, “Just give it some time. It will come to you.”

Elliott was correct, though a vague-feeling race car does little to build a driver’s confidence. Compounding St. James’s stress was the fact that the media had been invited to witness and film the record being broken, and such attempts rarely go off without a hitch. On the press day, St. James managed to best her previous Talladega best (setting a temporary record in the process), but the result was not what she’d hoped for.

The following day, St. James took to the track again, this time achieving a speed of 212.577 MPH, within 3/10 of a mile per hour of Elliott’s 1987 Talladega qualifying speed (accomplished with a 1987 NASCAR Thunderbird), a record that stands today. The women’s closed-course speed record was just one benchmark set during the test; in total St. James set 21 records, including 16 that were open to men or women. Her reign as the closed-course title holder would be short-lived, however: In 1989 Patty Moise drove a specially prepared Buick to a new women’s closed-course record of 216.607 MPH.

St. James had been affiliated with Ford since 1981, and the Thunderbird speed record attempt was undertaken for two purposes. First, the reshaped 1989 Thunderbird wasn’t as competitive in NASCAR Winston Cup competition as the previous body style had been, so grabbing a new record would paint the car in a positive light. Next, St. James was looking to demonstrate that she could be fast behind the wheel of a stock car, in case opportunities to further her driving career arose in NASCAR.

Ford agreed to fund the car’s development, and Elliott’s shop took on the build. Starting with a NASCAR superspeedway chassis and a 377-cu.in., 686-horsepower V-8 built by Ernie Elliott, the car received a Thunderbird Super Coupe body with aerodynamic modifications designed to reduce drag and boost top speed. The side sills were extended and a front air dam added, both to reduce lift at speed. An adjustable rear spoiler was fitted for added downforce over the driven wheels, and disc wheel covers were fabricated. A 10-gallon fuel cell was used, providing enough gasoline for a record run without adding unnecessary weight.

Given more time behind the wheel, it’s entirely possible that St. James would have bested Elliott’s speed, but shortly after her new record was set, the engine lost horsepower, ending the session. Since the record run, the car has remained with St. James, and at one point was the only racing car in her personal collection. In the decades since, there had been talk about bringing the Thunderbird to Bonneville to tackle additional speed records, but plans never materialized.

The Thunderbird remains an interesting part of Ford’s racing history, with ties to both St. James and Elliott. Motostalgia predicts a selling price between $170,000 and $210,000 when the unique Super Coupe crosses the auction block in Florida.

For additional details on the Amelia Island sale, visit Motostalgia.com.