1989 Ford Taurus SHO (CarBuzz)
The Ford Taurus, the mid-size sedan that literally once saved the automaker back in the late 1980s, is now gone. Like the Fiesta, Focus, and Fusion, the Taurus was the victim of Ford's desire to focus on trucks and SUVs in North America. The money saved from traditional cars, save for the Mustang, will be invested in electric vehicles and other future mobility technologies. It's the end of an era that was marked by several great cars. The Ford Taurus SHO was one of them.
Launched in 1989, the Taurus SHO was not your typical Taurus. It was a high-performance version with a different engine and unique styling. This first-generation Taurus SHO featured the hood from the slightly more upmarket Mercury Sable along with unique bumpers, side cladding, and fog lamps. It also had its own special wheel design. The interior was also upgraded by way of sports seats and an 8,000 rpm tachometer.
Under the hood sat a Yamaha-built 3.0-liter V6 that redlined at 7,000 rpm and had a total of 220 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque. Power was sent to the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. This gearbox was actually designed and built by Mazda. So, in other words, an American family sedan with a mostly Japanese powertrain. It was an interesting combination no doubt, and the performance results were certainly impressive. Zero to 60 mph happened in 6.6 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 15 to 15.2 seconds. Top speed was about 143 mph. Although these figures are easily achievable today by smaller turbocharged engines, they were pretty impressive for 1989.
