The eighth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years 1980 to 1982. To commemorate the 25th year of the Thunderbird, Ford released an all-new body design. While better-handling and more fuel-efficient than its Torino-based predecessor, the exterior design of the eighth-generation Thunderbird was poorly received by critics and buyers, leading to a collapse in sales (combined 1980–1982 production outsold 1979 production by only 4,000 vehicles). For 1983, Ford gave the ninth-generation Thunderbird an extensive exterior redesign (though sharing nearly identical chassis underpinnings), remarketing the model line to increase sales.