Ford secretly made a Ferrari-beating 1980s supercar. What happened?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- In the 1980s, Ford developed a secret supercar with Ferrari performance for a Corvette price. Then, it killed it at the very last minute.
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Ford began the decade with a mission to rebuild its reputation for performance. Its newly-created Special Vehicle Operations division was messing around with the Fox body Mustang when executives hatched a plan in 1983: Ford should build a new mid-engine supercar to stick it to Ferrari like the GT40 did in 1966. Codename: GN34
The SVO team contacted Yamaha to build a new hi-po engine, and it returned the iconic SHO V6. Next, Ford linked up with legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to create a beautiful wedge-shaped body. After a lot of back and forth, it set up a track test with a GN34 mechanical prototype, a Ferrari 308, a Porsche 944, a C4 Corvette, and none other than F1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart to wring them out.
Amazingly, despite being a rough prototype, the Ford was the clear winner. The design was further refined through focus groups and production plans in Europe were finalized. It looked like a home run. But at the very last minute, the whole thing was canceled when exchange rates shifted and made building the GN34 overseas too expensive.
Instead, its budget was reallocated to develop a four-door version of the Ford Bronco… which became the first Ford Explorer, which pretty much changed the car market forever. But at least enthusiasts got something out of it: that Yamaha-tuned SHO V6, which finally found a home in the Ford Taurus SHO, one of the best factory-built sleepers ever made.
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👍 to everyone that noticed the SUV at 11:50 is not actually a Bronco. Good catch! We'll be sure to pay more attention in the edit bay next week. 🤦♂
Someone actually put a SHO 3.0 in a Sierra. Google it. Pretty cool. I wish I had the money or I would put a SHO engine in my Sierra.
You guys should do a whole episode on the Cosworth Fords
I said to myself that looks so Mopar like. 😮
*Great story. As a stylist I think your hair would look better without the **_Muppets_** "Dr Bob" earflaps. You have a strong jaw to temple ratio most men would kill for and by triming it tight above the ear you would look 35% better.*
Another little-known fact about the SHO engine is that part of the deal was Ford got an engine and Yamaha got FoMoCo to do their dealer financing.
Yamaha developed a 5 valve per cylinder head for a late development of the Cosworth DFV, it's measured output indicated someone left the gate open to the pony paddock.
Though in the 90's the 1250,1400 and 1700cc Yamagata developed units did make it into production.
The GN34 was never going to work, too many people involved with no one having a overall vision
something so beautiful gets canceled for a ford explorer…. So sad.
The company exists to make money. Ford sold a huge number of Explorers, making hundreds of times what they would have on the limited production of the GN34. Remember, the only reason the GT40 was ever built, was because of Henry the deuce's ego, not because it would make money. But yes, all of us car nuts really lost a great car to the bean counters again.
Imagine a mid-engine, high revving V6, that’s comfortable to drive in the 80’s, and could beat a Ferrari. I swear another car company did the same thing later in the 80’s. Yup Honda/Acura did it with the NSX. Ford just can’t stop getting in their way.
Like the GT40 project, the NSX was the darling of a particular Honda executive, IIRC, who helped push it through even though it wasn't going to be a huge money maker like the Accords and Civics. I think they actually lost money making them; the actual cost was realized in the next gen NSX, and it wasn't cheap.
Looks like a Probe and Fiero had a secret love child!
Yep, just what I thought.
It looks like a Ferrari and a Fiero had a baby.
Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Mike Brady of car designers.
Ford wasted the SHO V6. It really should have been used in something cooler
It did… the SECOND generation Taurus SHOs (with the manual).
Like the..... Ranger.
@@kellingtonlink956🤢🤮
So just like the GT40 this was not a Ford. The GT40 was a Lola and this was a Guigiaro/Italdesign with a Yamaha engine.
Looks like a mix between a fiero and a 300z.
Exactly my thoughts 👍👍
Bean counters ruin everything
Ferrari said ford needs Italian size balls to match our cars 😂
I finally learned who's responsible for cars looking like shit for a decade.
11:51 calling out ford bronco while showing a clip of dodge ram charger lol
Dang it! You're right. good catch!
Aaaaaand we got the Ford Probe
It’s the offspring of a Fiero and a 300ZX mating.
I had a 94 SHO. For its time it was pretty great. The car was kind of cheap and maintenance was critical imo. You couldn't change the manual transmission fluid without tapping a plug into the trans case which made a HUGE difference in shifting. The OEM clutch was crap. Thank God for the SHO Shop at the time and other dedicated owners!
Heard people could switch out the chip for full power.
an svo mustang with that engine would have been neat.
Fk yeah! That motor is gorgeous and sings a wicked song.
Someone, somewhere must have done this, surely? It's just such an obvious combo...
Edit: So I had a quick google, and yep, it's been done... Didn't even look that difficult.
oh jes, somebody should had crossed out the management and their costs - and just build it like it was ment to be. But you´ll find the Mazda MX81 in this area too . The Mazda ZA-1 (Autozam-1) was luckily build, but only for Japanese Market. An really fantastic fun car like the Toyota MR-1 back in the days. They would have been great with that SHO engine.
Even then the AZ-1 only exists because of Suzuki (aside of the body and engine placement, the AZ-1 is basically a reworked Suzuki Cappuccino underneath). And the AZ-1 was built only in the shape we now know today, even though there were 2 other versions in the concept stage that looks even cooler (rally car style look and a mini Le Mans racecar) and was the one people chose actually, not the one that exists now.
Consider dropping the stock images usage, it's insulting
Great video ,yes Ford screwed that up, back then when companies crossed shopped like Ford did and making a Nice SVO car into a buffet ,thats why they lost, when they could've built it in the USA and figured out the logistics in the supply chain, it would have been a year longer in development , A friend of mine is retired from Ford and told me the reason why the detuned the Yamaha engine to 7200 rpms is so bolt on components would not wear out, none of them are rated over 6-6500 RPMS, in testing Ford was able to get off the shelf parts to work up to 7200 RPMS , otherwise they would using alternators and water pumps capable of higher revs like a Porsche engine and no American wants to pay those prices for parts on a Taurus ,it was a awesome engine that was under utilized 👍
Wowzers! Dreams of what could have been. 🤦🏾💔
It's been my understanding that the SHO V6 was developed for the Taurus, since the prototype engine was photographed in an early Taurus chassis, and the later production version of the engine was used in the GN34 prototype because it was available when the 32v 4.6L InTech Modular engine it was supposed to get wasn't ready yet. The belief that it was originally meant for the GN34 has long been a popular rumor, but if there's actual credible evidence to that effect, I'd be interested in hearing more.
0:59 a 280bhp 3.6L SHO would have been amazing, the 3.2 is a lot of fun but not quite enough power these days. If Ford had spread the SHO trim to the Thunderbird and Mustang like they should have maybe it would have gotten the appreciation it deserves.
The SHO engineer could rev beyond 10,000 rpm, but the accessories, such as alternators and water pumps found’ t! It looks like a Ford Probe and Pontiac Fiero got busy…
That was a great automotive history lesson. You’ve gotta love those first and 2nd generation Taurus SHOs… especially with the manual! Thanks for the video.
Excellent, informative video & well-narrated. What a shame that Ford didn't proceed w/ the Yamaha-powered version. Surprising that Bob Lutz gave it the axe, in favor of SUV mania in the U.S., presumably where the money was. If produced, the GN34 would have changed the sports car world as we know it today.
It's a sin to waste sho engines on fwd cars. It's like grumpy elementary school teachers decision, if something is too fun, we have to tame it down
It's amazing to look at those Yamaha designed headers and think they were mass produced in the early 90's
Ford has dropped the ball soo many times!!!
The big 3 were secretly on one in the 80s, most of it never made it to the public though.
Go watch The Wraith lol
Donut vibes but I ain't mad at it
O yes famous Ford GT 40, actually British Lola Mk5, with Ford engine, but fact doesnt matter, right.
Good video. I always thought this car was the MVS Venturi made in France but there doesn't seem a connection except for the French part and a V6 engine.
The Ghia design was definitely the nicest. It’s a shame they never made it 🤷♂️
Another great automotive story I never heard before, The Drive team thanks for getting us stories like this.
To bad that Ford didn't stick and make production model of mid-engine car , Corvette killer😊❤
It's like Tessarossa and Probe had a love child.
Wow, it's a mix of fiero and 300z😅
Front end looks like a ford probe
And the rear end looks like a Nissan 300zx
Hey nice video, thank you ! One point of criticism though...: Technically, the "Ford" GT40 does not exist really. It wasn't a Ford to begin with; it was a Lola. It wasn't even American. This British build Lola though was propelled by a British designed V8, roughly based upon an American Ford V8. Exactly this is the reason why FoMoCo is not allowed to use the name Ford GT40. This car is called a "GT40" nothing more, nothing less. Ford was so desperate to go in competition with Ferrari at the time, but they did not have any car which could compete with Ferrari at the 24hrs of Le Mans, that they basically started to look in their customer base, to see who actually could be a serious threat to Ferrari, and so FoMoCo ended up purchasing the already existing British Lola race car with a British designed V8 based upon an American Ford V8 engine. Ford however did not own the GT40 name and so Ford could not use this name when in 2003 they wanted to make a tribute car based upon the original GT40. The car turned out to not be even close to the original size of the Lola from the 1960s (it was larger) so the 40 in GT40 was just going to be a name and did not refer to the actual height, as it did at the Lola Le Mans Race car. So FoMoCo was not allowed to use the GT40 name and the height was different from the original, so Ford named the car : Ford GT. This Ford GT by the way was the very first attempt of Ford to build a "Le Mans"car; more or less kind of based upon the original Lola Le Mans car. The Ford GT however would never be a serious competitor at the 5000 Kilometer Le Mans Race at a top speed of 350 Km/hr and an average top speed of 220 Km/hr since the fuel consumption of this Ford Gt is outrageously high. In fact, the Ford GT was actually a tribute to the Lola Le Mans Race car Ford used to win Le Mans races with and especially to crush Ferrari at Le Mans. Having a Ford GT in a museum and not driving it is probably the best thing one can do, since driving it is going to be a very costly experience due to its enormous fuel consumption.
Side note: The all (NON-FORD) original (Lola?) GT40 in all of its different year-versions are still for sale brand new in the United Kingdom.
Ford build replica of MR2 Ferrari replica. Presumably they were then so embarrassed that they hid it.
Yamaha should have sold this engine to someone who could have used it properly.
The Sierra came with a Cosworth YB engine and later also a Cosworth V6, not bad.
You should do a video on the Ford Contour, with the Duratec engine.
I would question whether Sir Jackie Stewart was indeed unbiased, since he drove for Ford multiple times over his career.
Great content! But lol no mention of the terminator cobra 😢
Four door ford bronco as a Dodge ram drives by😂
I hate how this story goes after the Jackie Stewart part
So they built a cool mid engine car that died and came back to life as the Probe. 👌🏼
Always loved these. I have a hard choosing between the different body styles. They all look good in different ways.
Between ford and gmh management they really have made some absolute unbelievable mistakes
I had read somewhere they were thinking of putting that Yamaha V6 in the front wheel drive cougar or the probe
Yup they shoulda put in the probe at least. !
Wrong!!!!! A german engineering company / office engineered the famous 2JZ engine, not Yamaha! Soo... pls no Supra pics here!😜👍
7:50 that has some serious resemblance to the Probe.
Ford could bring it back as a true electric Mustang. Just call it Ford Mustang Thunder
Thank you for pronouncing it correctly! Every time I hear someone say “Taurus Show” I cringe.
S...H...O
How do you feel about Guh-lardo and Poorsh?
Does it also have Scooby-Doo Seats?
I had two 1989 SHOs and my God, my favorite engine ever. The car was kinda crap but the engine was so good and so fun, it was worth driving the car. That engine just sang a beautiful note and to this day, my favorite engine ever.
If they had put it into the Contour SVT, they may have had a lineage of great sport sedans but alas, they did not.
The Yamaha SHO engine with the bundle of snakes intake was my favorite engine ever.
I wish they had put it in the Mustang. Way better than any of the 4s or 6s they used, and better than many of the 8s.
@@billymays7210 Agreed. It was a fantastic engine and deserved better. The Mustang and the Contour SVT both could have benefited by it being installed. Alas, it wasn't home grown at Ford so it never happened. I'll just relish the time I had with it in the early 90s.
All moot now that electric vehicles will out perform it in every way, just not with any of the passion nor the wonderful noises.
The Drive 🚗
Great channel
This is cool. Never heard of it somehow
Look at the picture in the background at 4:59
Yeah what’s up with that? Car wreck photo??
Ford has clearly been dropping the ball for a very long time.
Cool story! Sad outcome, though.
I want a SHO in my NA Miata
Wise choice.
Yamaha is so awesome ❣️👌🏼
Especialy the sound is mostly very beautyful ❕😅
Now all you get is a souped up Mustang.
Very cool, thanks for sharing and thank you Steve Saxty for your research!
My buddy had one of those sho Taurus’s in high school and it was quick as hell for the time.
Great tale - thanks!
The 1st generation Lightning predates SVT
The first Ford lightning was 1993. SVT was started in 1991.
The GN3 looks like a Lotus Europa
This engine in a Tempo/Topaz...
It looks like the probe
Well when Ford partnered with Mazda for the Probe it was supposed to be the future of Ford coupes. I mean the Probe was almost the new Mustang
@@robertstiltner5105 yea that's what I've heard. Those kinda cars are my childhood. Everyone had a ranger. A bronco 2. A escort. Or a fiesta or a probe. I drove in all of those all the time.
Not really. Looks like a Fiero and an MR-2 had a baby with downs syndrome.
That's what I thought when I saw it
Who knew the 1st gen Probes had a hidden compartment on the steering wheel, instead of an airbag, big enough to hold an O.
Wow, this was great !
looks like a Ford Probe
😂 ah the Ford DeLorean
Stock generic photos/videos ruin this..
In short, Yamaha is the main hero in this story.
Because SUV’s make money and vanity projects do not
The ford fiero
Ford dropped the ball so badly for a couple decades
To bad ford couldn’t build a affordable rear engined vehicle instead of a v6 people are stuck with no one can afford
Mid engined?
Concept car for SUV, Thanks ford XD.
"Ferrari Beating" lolz, perhaps, on paper, as specifications.
It looks like a turd, Ferrari make art that are considered blue chip investments by collectors around the world.
This is yet another concept that eas cancelled for good reason.
Interesting
Does anyone know how to make a kit car out of this. Kickstarter anyone? dm me!
What happened?, easily, hard to sell an expensive rich car being an average automaker..., the Pony var is The Mustang, camaros, challengers are always 2nd despite anythingz proof?, those got the axe another time. The states sport cars?, the vette, the Viper couldnt keep up. So, the daily driver of sport cars is the porsche, the lamborghini for those who cant wait for the propper one but, the GOAT is Ferrari, proof?, look its value since the IPO!.
There is little value in imitations....
i used to have one of those supercars in highschool. my sister inherited it when she turned 16.
Automobile manufacturers are in the business to make money. Whereas the only reason factory Auto racing exists is for advertising purposes. People love race cars even if they don't know anything about auto racing.. Winning an auto races on Saturday means that they sell more cars on Monday. However if they are selling every car that they can manufacture then why waste money on advertising?.. it doesn't make sense to do that. Remember the auto manufacturers are in the business to make money not to race cars.. Auto racing is secondary to the ultimate goal of sales. Poor sales means you go auto racing, good sales means you don't.
Porsche is doing just fine in the sales department, but they have their hands in all kinds of racing. Mitsubishi sales are in the toilet and they haven’t gone racing in years…
Wedge car!
SHO....meh, not that high
your editor is using way too many stock footage cut scenes and it detracts from a good and well narrated story.
Cool
That's a lot of work for 30 more hp than the 5.0...
Yamaha didn't design the SHO V6; they did the heads and beefed up the Ford-designed Vulcan engine. It was like Chevrolet asking Cosworth to make the ZR-1, out was the single cam and pushrods; in came the 4 cam engine and 16 valve heads. Ford has never made a decent engine (neither has Chevrolet or certainly Dodge/Chrysler). You can put a candle on a cow pie, but that doesn't make it a birthday cake (except to Midwesterners, I suppose).
Cosworth? Do you mean Lotus?
Fiero.
What a great engine to waste on such a god awful car
I can't stand Ford Explorers. Or any of the garbage crossovers and SUVs.
Fords were still exciting back then! Just drive around in a Pinto until you get rear ended, and see if you explode!
It looks like a Fiero, and a Probe had a baby. A very ugly baby. The SHO was such a strange thing for Ford to do. It was quick for the time, but it handled like a frickin Ford Taurus. It would try to be an airplane if you went past 85 mph.
Have you ever driven a first or second gen SHO? They worked over the suspension too and so they handle much better than they have any right to and do not feel unstable at speed. I’ve had mine up to 120 many times and the thing is solid.
@@Akeena1 I own one (89, original black paint w/ grey and and black interior). It's ok for the era, but make no mistake it is absolutely not a sports car. A person with not much prior knowledge about the car would get in it and think it was a peppy 80s sedan. Which it is. Good car, awesome for that particular period in time. Way over hyped these days though, which works well for the value if I were to ever sell. 220 hp was a lot for a 4 door sedan in 89, but the modern driver isn't exactly blown away by that kind of power. I also own a 2004 SES with the Duratec and it feels very similar to the older SHO, which is a testament to how far ahead the 89 SHO was I guess. But it does give people an idea of what we're dealing with, I think.
You have no clue what you are talking about. I have had a SHO for nearly 20 years. All stock and it's handling is excellent. There are a dozen Cameros, Firebird, Mustangs and Corvettes that learned this less. As for 225 hp, that is a severe under-rating.
@@stickman-1😂😂😂