Motor Trend Car of the Year Motor Trend Car of the Year The "Motor Trend" Car of the Year (COTY) is an annual award given by "Motor Trend" magazine to recognize the best new or significantly refreshed car in a given model year. "Motor Trend", which debuted in 1949, was the first publication to name a Car of the Year. The inaugural "Motor Trend" Car of the Year award recognized Cadillac's V8 engine in 1949. The earliest awards were given to the manufacturer or division, not for a specific vehicle. The 1958 Ford Thunderbird became the first single model to be selected. In 1970, the Ford
Ford Thunderbird previous Thunderbird, the new Thunderbird featured a radically sleeker, more aerodynamic body and a slightly shorter wheelbase of . To power the new Thunderbird, the 3.8 L Essex V6 and 5.0L (302 cid) V8 were carried over from the previous generation with the V8 engine gaining CFI electronic fuel injection in 1983, and the V6 in 1984 for US models, 1985 for Canadian models (which was in turn replaced by multipoint fuel injection on the V8 in 1986 and the V6 in 1988). All-new, and a Thunderbird first, was a turbocharged 2.3 L OHC 4-cylinder engine featured in the 1983