Vehicle Description
Lyn St. James Speed Record Breaking 1989 Ford Thunderbird
Designer: Anthony "Tony" Kuchta (Pgm Dir.)
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Estimate: $180,000 - $250,000
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Chassis Number: LSJ1123 (Sold on Bill of Sale)
Engine: 377 cid OHV V8
4-barrel carburetor/686 bhp
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Four Wheel Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Co Efficient of Drag (CD) is .22
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Actual Record Setting Car
Competition Built For One Purpose
Totally Original As Driven Condition
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The Model: In the fall of 1988, Ford was ready to release the next
generation of one of its star players, the new 1989 Thunderbird
Super Coupe. When first released the T-bird had been promoted as a
sporting personal car. Over the years that initial concept had
morphed into making the model a personal luxury car. That attitude
was about to be changed with this new car and it would be a woman
at the wheel. Lyn St. James had winning in her blood and in 1981
she secured �Ford Motor Company as her main sponsor. In 1988 Ford
decided to take the Thunderbird to Talladega International Speedway
in Alabama, where she and her team set an amazing 21 National,
International, and World records. She also set a National Woman's
Speed Record clocked at 212.577 mph with a top speed of 232.400
mph, besting the old record by over 10 mph that she had set in 1985
in a Ford Mustang Probe. Her achievements were hailed when Sports
Illustrated named her one of the Top 100 Female Athletes of the
20th Century, and she was invited to the White House to meet
Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. An
accomplished woman and her efforts might have helped keep this
basic T-bird platform alive up through the end of the 1997
season.
The Car: This is a one-of-a-kind, purpose race car built by the
famous Elliott Racing Team under the direction of Ford Motor
Company Special Vehicle Operations in 1988. Under the hood was a
specially prepared Ford V8 built by engine builder Ernie Eilliott
for the record attempt. The lightweight "Super Coupe" body shell
sets on a tubular frame with a full roll cage. It is fitted the
original race seat and a five-point safety belt. The car left the
track and Ford often used it as a show car, and in 1995 it became
the property of Lyn St. James. The car continued to be on display
at numerous locations, including the Daytona 500 Experience and The
Henry Ford Museum. It is still an operational car and ran the the
hillclimb at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed. �It would be
welcomed and easily displayed at major international events,
museums, and concourses celebrating vintage motoring. There is
official FIA documentaiton to supoprt the history of the car, as
well as photographs and other memorabilia from the hiistoric event.
There is also a documentary on DVD of the record attempt. This car
is a tribute to a woman who was a pioneer in a field where where
speed counts.
