The eighth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for the 1980 to 1982 model years. Introduced to commemorate the 25th year of the model line, the eighth generation was substantially downsized, transitioning further into the mid-size segment. For a second generation, the Thunderbird was the Ford counterpart of the Mercury Cougar XR7; while the Cougar again served as the mid-size Mercury line, the Thunderbird was offered solely as a two-door personal luxury coupe.