SHO Time!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2023
- This 1995 Ford Taurus SHO is the last of the 5-speed sticks. But what makes the SHO V6 engine so unusual? And while it has a 5-speed transmission, it also has a 2-speed intake manifold. A WHAT? Watch and discover.
- ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Buddy had one in the late 90s in high school, that thing would pound a lot of cars on the streets with 4 guy's in it. Our phrase when we would race someone was: *SHO em the cliTAURUS*
Worked at a big Ford dealer back then. We had lots of storage lots around town. A 95 SHO got "forgotten" for 3 years. It was sold in 98, brand new. That was kind of neat, the guy showed up to service for something and I said "Warranty period might be about done since it's 3 years old" and he was like "I just bought it new", and sure enough...he did. Warranty doesn't start until it's put into service. Its 3/36 went until 2001 or 36k. Always liked those cars.
😂 wow
Didn't need a piece of lastic covering the SHO motor. It was a work of art. Ford and Yamaha were proud of that one.
In the 90’s if a kids parents had a SHO they were considered pretty cool, at least by the teenagers which were well on their way of being a gear head. It was a special car back then, still today in my opinion.
No doubt
Facts. My mom had 2 of them. 89 and 91. I have the 89 still.
@@dubiousf00d
Nice
Absolutely
Had a 91 in 96 when I turned 16.
The police cars in Robocop (1987) were Tauruses. Very futuristic at the time.
I currently have a 91 SHO with the 3.2L from the automatic in it. It's a little rocket, does quite well in modern traffic.
The previous (and original) owner gave me a treasure trove of parts with it, including a NOS rod shifter conversion with the necessary exhaust.
Fun side fact…..the engine itself was actually good for 9000 rpm but they put the redline at 7000 because the accessories could only handle 7000
Ah, bean counter logic. Could've just used larger pulleys to slow the accessories down, but that would've cost a bit.
that isn't actually true. The accepted number was more like 8000 rpm, but the stock valve springs wouldn't handle that without float and the stock cam timing in no way would support power anywhere NEAR that rpm. If your power peak is 6400 like a stock 3.0 SHO, shifting at 7600 will be much slower than shifting at say 6700-6800. To have a power peak at 8000 rpm on this engine would come with a torque peak of 6500 +. Poor idle, terrible drivability and weak low to midrange power. Not to mention the necessary overlap would not pass any Federal emissions standards. This was the days before VTEC and variable cam timing so if you had 85 degrees of overlap to make power at high rpm, you had to live with the terrible drivability at all other times.
Nice
@@jaylestingi5418 Mr. B. Here ! 👍👍👍👍 ☕️☕️🧰🔧🪛🧰🔧🪛
Don't forget about the oil system. I learned this the hard way spinning the bearings out of my rotating assemblies. Had SHO much fun doin it though. Yes, I had too😂
I worked at a Ford store back in the 90’s and these things were quite impressive. Attracted the ‘new dads’ group who needed the four door family car. Very snappy engines those Yamahas and aesthetically pleasing.
Like you said Mr Magnante - In many regards, the mid to late 80s really was a great time for cars.
Mid six, or lower, 0 to 60 times were back. Good handling, good braking, and good fuel economy as well.
We tend to dismiss them now, but they really were fun cars.
The SHO came out in 1988 as an 89 model. The regular 4cyl and small 6cyl LX, MT5,L, GL trimmed Tauruses came out in 1985 alongside the Aerostar vans and were the most futuristic cars at that time!
I don't know much about cars but I do remember the mid 90s Taurus and Sable were notorious for having garbage automatic transmissions.
In my local tranny shop back then and noticed many of them too, the mechanic smiled and said "Those are my bread & butter"
I almost bought one. Took it for a test drive. Very impressive car for the time.
Had two of them. What a GAS!! I had one of them up at 130 mph. It felt like I sitting on a couch. I just watched the German beasts fad out behind. Love to have another!
Looks like that was a nice car in its day. Did you do a segment on what looks like a diamond reo in the background? Would like to see a segment about that beauty
Great video, as always. I'm praying for your full recovery, Steve!!!
I miss my 92 money green 5spd SHO with the black guts. I had so much fun in that car in my late 20's. I actually drove a 90 SHO silver in color with the black guts to my Junior prom. I raced the 95 V8 Cougar and I believe 93 Mark 8. What fun we had that night and yes I won that race. To many races to mention but they all were wins for me. Im now in my 40's and was about to get the big boxy V8 365hp SHO but I raced one in my G37xs and I smoked him so I kept the G37 and bought a Q50. But very nice cars the SHO and I wish I could have that moment in time again.
Loved those cars, every time I see one I smile, just dont see older cars like that anymore.
I had a 1994 SHO. Green like this one, with the automatic. Great engine. Great car......not only a great highway cruiser but a great stop light grand prix car. The only weak part of the car was the automatic. I ran through three transmissions in the time I owned it. But I loved that car. Only sold it to buy the Saleen in 2000, which I still own today.
Good man
Back in 95 I was 11 and was reading everything I could about cars. I read and learned about these SHOs and coincidentally my neighbor had a 93. My mom asked him to give me a ride to school one and morning and I remember sitting and the back and going “ Randy, this things a SHO Taurus, right? Aren’t these supposed to be fast?” He smirked and gave it some gas and I flew into the seat! That was awesome for a young gear
Head!!!! Very cool memory for me.
My wife had a green automatic SHO, It was actually a nice car. We never had any issues in the 4 or so years she drove it.
I was a tech at the dealer in the 90's and these were a blast to drive.👍
I read an article back in the day that Mercury (Ford) built a handful of all aluminum Sables with the SHO drivetrain and they said it was as fast as a contemporary Corvette
Correct Sir! Back in 1994, Ford produced a series of experimental Mercury Sables with all-aluminum bodies. About 20 were made, a few of which were even powered by the aluminum 3.2 L
I remember Ford used Jackie Stewart in their SHO ads on TV. Don't know if he's still around but was a legend then and now.
😎👍
I had a 89 SHO back in the mid 90's
A very rare occasion when I don't learn something from a Steve Magnante video. I've never seen a Taurus with a stick shift and never seen a 4 cylinder model. Never knew either was even offered. Thanks as always, Steve.
I’ve seen one. I think it was from the early production. I think the guy who had only bought it because it was a cheap deal likely due to heavy dealer discounts just to get rid of it. The fours were the 2.5 shared with the Tempo.
The four-cylinder taurus were only available in 86 & 87. They had a Ford tempo drivetrain with the 2.3 liter engine and the three-speed ATX trans.
I always thought a SHO V6 with a 5 spd setup for RWD in a Pinto would have been awesome!
We had a 95 non SHO, with four wheel disc brakes. Car lasted forever, passed thru the family, til a deer did a dance across the hood, roof and trunk (then ran off).
I owned an 89 SHO back in 1994. It had some electrical issues that left me stranded a couple times, but it was quick for it's day. There was a subtle change in the engine sound after 4000 rpm when those short runners opened that was cool.
I had a black 1991 SHO that I bought used when I graduated college in 1994. It was so nice and damn quick for its time. My dad loved it so much he picked up a red 1994 SHO a few years later. One of the best looking engines ever. I also remember either an issue of Hot Rod, Car Craft or PHR that stated you could run the SHO V6 in a RWD platform (like a model A or t-bucket) if you used the auto transmission from a Ford Aerostar Van. I believe it was a story about using different/unique engines rather than the standard small block Chevy. I'm not sure if anyone actually ever put the SHO V6 in a Rod but it would be very cool indeed.
Lets not forger the SHO-Gun, a SHO powered Ford Festiva sub-compact. A company built them for a few years and most famously, Jay Leno had one that he showed to many magazines and TV shows. I have NO IDEA how such a crazy combination was legal for FED standards, but a bunch were built! Google Ford Festiva (or was it Fiesta?) SHO-Gun...Thanks for watching and writing. Steve Magnante
@@SteveMagnante The 3.0L Yamaha SHO V6 was already US emissions certified by Ford. Legally, if less than 250 are produced of a given vehicle in a single model year, they are generally granted what's called a small volume manufacturer exemption. This typically exempts a small volume manufacturer from being subject to a whole slew of environmental, safety, lighting, and emissions requirements, provided the vehicle meets standards applicable for either the model year of the donor vehicle or the engine. The EPA generally frowns upon installing an engine older than the vehicle it's going into, but the vast majority of inspection stations don't go nearly into this level of detail in the engine specifications. Most of them aren't going to check.
I am pretty certain I remember Jay Leno explaining that less than ten of these SHOgun Festivas were produced, well under the 250 vehicle limit.
@@SteveMagnante Festiva. The Ford Fiesta was offered in the US through the 1980 model year.
Had met Rick Titus who was displaying the SHO-GUN @ Grand Prix in Long Beach. Slick concept limited production car
@@SteveMagnante jay Leno has one. With NOS!!!
Love your channel
Sorry for the later reply, I'm just getting back to the office after nearly three weeks of being a juror on a criminal case. I will say at the end of the day, there were no winners.
The Taurus was a sales success, and the idea was right, but Ford's quality (or lack of) made things bad news. But they did sell and they were good all the way around. I'm not a Fomoco fan, but you have to give credit where it is due. With that said, these could move out pretty good.
We got the VIN, we win: 1FA for US made Ford passenger car, L for manual seat belts and dual airbags, P54 for Taurus SHO, Y for 3.0L V6 DOHC, 4 is a check digit, S for 1995 model year, A for Atlanta, GA assembly (Hapeville) aka "Hotlanta", and the rest is the production sequence. The Hapeville plant operated from 1947 to 2006 and part of the property has become part of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta (which I have flown through for work a few times). The plant was down the block from the Sears regional headquarters/regional distribution center for Sears on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Some Taurus models were also built at the Chicago, IL facility which still operates today.
No tag, can't brag, but this is code PA Deep Jewel Green exterior paint. The transmission would be an MTX-IV five speed, which is Mazda designed/inspired.
Back about 10 yrs ago, there was a guy who converted the SHO engines into awesome engines for midget racing. He raced them several years at the Chili Bowl, a ‘premier’ race for midget cars in January in Tulsa OK.
Steve, Don't forget Robocop drove a Tarus and did front wheel mini-burnouts!
Good Morning Steve, In 1989 I sold my Restored 82 Camaro, Fast fun car, And Bought a New Ford Taurus SHO white, I got married, But didn't want to give up all the Toys, Most people Have no Clue has fast that car really was, Top end super fast, Then my wife son and my mother of 80 and 2 of her friends where grocery shopping, At a stop light and were hit in the back at 40 mile mph, Totaled my SHO. Sad Day. Thought i would share.
You have 79 siblings?😉
@@seed_drill7135a lot roomier car, than I would have thought!
You are funny!😂
I’m still laughing!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Poor woman!😮
@@jeffreycarleton1535 Unless you driven one, I suck up A fast BMW at 145, Top end, By the way still have a 67 chevelle 700hp
I had a 1993 SHO first new car I ever purchased. I loved that car, the throttle response and the way that engine revd was amazing
I used to autocross back in the day with another racer who owned a first gen SHO. One heck of a car and driver. Always loved the first gen.
Bought one as my bank executive company car in ‘89. It replaced my Turbo Coupe. Black on black as stealth as they come. First time I took a bunch of fellow executives out to lunch they couldn’t understand why I brought a Taurus much less a manual car when they all had Lexus and Acura as their company cars. That ended the minute I left the parking lot and nailed it on the highway. Another fun fact, the engine was final assembled by Mercury Marine since they used similar Yamaha heads on their HO outboard engines.
Nice!😂
Interesting, hadn’t heard of Merc building Ford engines. I know they used Yamaha for a lot of their early 4 strokes. Got a link for more on the double breasted yamaha?
Hi Steve great video on this SHOgun Taurus. These were definitely a good buy. I think I read once it was the combination of low price ($20k -$30k) and high performance put it as the fasted 4dr production car. Anything faster was a BMW and that would set you back north of $50k. That was big money in the late 80s. The SHOgun engine is rev-limited to 7300 rpm but not to protect the internal components, but to keep the accessory drive system from flying apart. 🤣The engine itself is safely able to turn more than 8500 rpm! On different notes, did anyone see Alef Aeronautics revealed Tuesday (yesterday) that its flying car, “Model A,” became the first of its kind to receive legal approval to fly from the US government. We are definitely living our future as we envisioned during childhood. Have a blessed day everyone 🤙🏼Namaste 🙏🏼
Yeah, I’m changing my name to, Elroy Jetson!
I Identify as a Pan-am pilot! 😂🦄🌈 Crash the Rainbow!
In 1995 I worked for Tasca Ford. I remember those SHO cars.
My insurance agent had a letter framed in his office about the early SHO's. Apparently the first year or years they were built you couldn't tell a SHO from a standard Taurus by the VIN numbers and the insurance company wasn't pleased about it and directed the agents when writing a new policy to visually inspect every Taurus that verify it wasn't a SHO and apply the correct surcharge if a SHO was found.
That is correct!
Had your insurance company been smarter, they could have determined whether the car was an SHO by the VIN number. Following 1981, the engine code was the eighth digit in the VIN number, as only the SHO's got the Yamaha SHO 3.0L/3.2L DOHC V6. A computer program could have been written to automatically apply the surcharge if a specific digit was found in the VIN number. Yes, even back in 1981, this could have been done by either the computer or by human beings.
@@houseofno That is correct. The SHO engines had their own VIN codes not shared with the other non-SHO Taurus models.
That's not correct. The VIN codes for the SHO engines (in this case the 8th digit) were unique to SHO models and they could be easily distinguished. All insurance companies had guides for VIN decoding and could easily tell what was what. Even back in 1980, when we had photos taken of our 1980 Trans Am, they knew it was a Trans Am by the 2nd VIN code being a "W" which denoted Trans Am. Sounds like someone didn't know what they were doing in that insurance office.
VIN... not VIN number!
When I was 19 I was all about Mopar v8s. I road in a in an sho that belonged to a friends dad. That thing hauled ass. Arguably more then my magnum Dakota and my friends iroc camero
There are still a few SHO guys out there bringing it at the strip. I’ve seen them with nitrous and I’ve seen them with a centrifugal blower. No doubt a few crazies have turbocharged them.
My uncle "Joe" bought one in their debut year of 1986. (Late summer 1985) What a miserable 4 cylinder POS that was! But it was brand new, so that was the car that I drove for my driving license test. 😊 And that actually just occurred to me since ive not given it much thought over all these years.
Jay Leno has a Ford Festiva “Shogun”with this engine mounted in the rear. Pretty cool. Too bad it didn’t sell better.
Those were great cars back in the day!!
There's one of those sitting about fifty feet from me, grown in so badly that you almost can't tell that it's there!
The Taurus in general were ground breaking in their design. Honda and many other manufacturers copied the general design. The SHO was awesome
Ah, I had a silver 92 sho. One of the most fun cars I've ever owned!
junkyard needs to thank you for clearing the weeds!
Good point. I eat so much pizza the work out is a good thing. But I'm still fat. Hoping to hit 300 pounds but have plateaued at 241 despite a pizza-a-day for 10 months. My "ideal body shape" is Frosty The Snowman. Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
The 1st car i ever bought was a green 93 SHO. Was fully loaded, sunroof, full leather, the works. Loved it so much, i bought 2 more. All green😂. Still have one now.
I've seen SHO's used as track cars with interior gutted with a roll bar. And it was loud! It was in its day a mean jelly bean.
I had a gold ‘89 Sho. I loved that car. It was quick and drove great. Only real problem I had was clutch went out and the sunroof leaked. I miss that car.
I love that green color too.
A Mustang performance shop in Dallas Texas put this drive train in a 1994 Tempo gl 2 door 😂 won a lot of races 👍 ... Happy motoring 🤠✌️
I had a 1999 Taurus with the
Durtec V6 (Not SHO) for a company car. It was 20K out the door.
It ran very strong, I surprised many at stop lights and cruising at speed.
It had 150,000 plus miles when I sold it and still running strong.
Duratec, yes. The rest of the car, junk. I had a 96 Sable with the duratec v6. Brakes shot at 36k. Other failures include .Wheel bearings, multiple sets of swaybar links, variable assist steering , rear speaker shorted out.Lower radiator hose rubbing the frame put a hole in it. An nasty thump in the firewall on a hot day when cornering the dealer couldn't diagnose. It didn't make it to 100k and the trans failed. A year after the trans was replaced the hot wire from the fuse box under the hood to the one under the dash shorted out and the car wouldn't come out of park. Had to run a new hot wire. I haven't bought a Ford since. Fix or repair daily is an understatement.
I owned this exact car, but with an automatic since the wife didn't drive manual. Also, my wheels were the stock SHO rims. It was a wonderful driving car!
Interesting side note, the hood was unique to SHO. I learned this when the wife drove it under a Ford Tempo!😢
Yup came straight from the mercury sable
7:22
Back in 91-92 I was bartender at a Vermont inn. A group of Ford engineers were in town checking out new gear cutting machines for manufacturing an automatic transmission that could handle the power of the SHO.
Had a regular 89 Taurus with the 3.0 V6. Great car, very good power and handling. Unfortunately, the transmission began slipping at 180,000 miles and I didn't feel like putting the money into fixing it. I kind of wish I would have fixed it and kept it up, mainly because it drove so good and also because you never see the 1st gen Taurus or the 2nd gen Taurus on the road anymore. When the 1st and 2nd generation Taurus started getting high mileage on them around the late 90's and early 2000's, that was it. Most people did the same as I did, because they weren't considered anything special and off to the junkyard, they went if anything major failed on them. I can say with complete confidence that I haven't seen a 1st generation Taurus on the road in at least 18 years. You're more likely to see a old Plymouth Roadrunner or Dodge Superbee than a 1st gen Taurus on the road. I'm old enough to remember when these cars were everywhere, you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a Ford Taurus , it's so strange how a car that was once such a common sight on the road is now so rare that you probably won't see one unless it's in a junkyard.
A couple of minor corrections, the SHO first came in 1989, not 1987, and it had 220 hp, not 215. I bought a silver 1992 back in the day, I enjoyed the high rpm but the low end was very poor, at least compared to the Mustang GT. I also had a fair amount of warranty work for clutch chatter, sloppy shifter cables and other issues. Last but not least was the torque steer, mercy!
I miss my 1993 SHO now! It was an ATX, still very fun to drive, and had the quickest car in college! Especially in automotive everyone talked about the SHO! The car was about 12 years old and talk of the class. Those 16 inch "Slicer" rims were side specific, and made in Italy. The Plus model for 1991 had a factory fiberglass hood and new Slicer rims, blank centercaps, where 92 and up centercaps had "SHO" on them. Not that quick by today's standards but 20 years ago was a different story. Another great video. Thanks
I had a new 1999 SHO V8. While sitting at a gas station a man walked up to me to say that I would have problems with this engine around 70,000 miles. Something about a pressed on gear on the cam. A few years later at 74,000 mile the engine locked up driving down the road at 45 mph and motor was ruined.
Damn! Talk about prophetic utterances!
That’s crazy! Sorry to hear that Buddy!😮
If you didn’t get the cams welded, you were screwed
Loved ours but my wife's shoulder started giving out so decided it got sold. Great car.
The Taurus was such a cool futuristic car when it came out in 1985. Made everything else at that time look like old shit!
Change the old shit
With some newer shit!
We don’t get fooled again!😂
Coffee and Crawling!!!!!!!!!!!!!
☕️☕️🍩🍩👍👍
Good Ole RoboCop I remember being a kid Ford nut and loving to see them being thrashed in the movie
Tuning Fork power
great cars back then. Everyone loved them who owned one
I actually had three Tauruses years ago & they were great never had any problems with them. Not SHO.
Greetings from Fall River Mass
It's pretty rare that Steve talks about a car that I have owned. That kind of cool to see. I loved my '92. It met an odd and unfortunate end at the hands of a too-fast too-furious kid who raced it and blew it up. He later tried to fix it but it never ran again and ended up wasting away in the central California sun. I got a call at least 10 years later from someone who bought it, believing it to be a running car, only to find out that it was still F'd. So he found my registration or something and tracked me down. He ended up scrapping almost every piece of the car, but he sent me the Yamaha Ford logo from my trunk. That was a solid move by that dude.
So I always enjoy SHO content from those who know. Thanks Steve!
I had 87 Taurus 4 banger...MT5 thought it was until I did some downtown Chicago driving
As an owner of a SHO. You don't really appreciate what it is until you drive it. A true sleeper.
very broad torque band, eh?
That era of Taurus reminds me of the police cars in the original Robocop movie.
Great video! Hate to possibly “correct” Steve…but the first SHO came out in 1989 not 1987. I remember my friends older brother got a brand new 1989 and it was really cool other than wrong wheel drive.
Those were cool cars back then,the round body Tarus was even in Nascar, thumbs up great video 😊
Loved mine. Ford did that one right. I'd get another if I could find one.
I had both 93 and 97 great cars. 93 220hp 97 235hp both got great milage and they went, handled, just a fun car to drive. should have kept one.
1989 SHO in black thank you.
Ooooo, that’s racist!😂 it SHO IS CRACKER!
I dated someone back in the early 90's who's mom had one just like this one... except it had tan guts. What a pretty car! She was a big woman and looked like and automatic only girl, but she rowed through the gears like a pro and wasn't opposed to showing a kid in a hot rod what that Taurus would do! Lol!
I remember she cried for 2 weeks when her husband traded it in on a Flex, of all things.
I had a few Tauruses and loved them, none were SHO. My 99 was my favorite. I liked the round rear window.
I really like this body style. These are the cars I grew up with. My boss has a newer SHO with a twin turbo AWD V6. It's pretty sweet.
Steve I really appreciate your presentation style just in general and I have been emulating it with the presentations I give. I just wanted you to know that you're an inspiration. Love the channel. Keep on keeping on!
My parents had a Ford Tempo GL 5 Speed. Little did I know, it was a precursor to the SHO.
Back in the late 80's the trucking company I worked for had the contract with Ford parts division. We were constantly delivering full trailer loads of Taurus and Sable automatic transmissions to there parts warehouses. Apparently there was a problem with the 4 speed OD units.The Ford dealerships couldn't get enough of them.
Back in the early 90's when families still bought domestic sedans the cool ones where I lived had a Taurus SHO or Cadillac STS.
In the movie’ The Santa Clause’, Tim Allen’s character, Scott Calvin, drove an SHO…
Ford really screwed themselves in the 1996 redesign of the Taurus/Sable. The basic 1986-95 design was industry changing and aged well, especially the '91-95 style. The guy who said "hey lets make every conceivable surface of the car invoke the Ford oval" must have been Chris Bangle's roommate in college. There was no need to put a "V8" into the SHO just to say it had a V8, especially when it was slower and heavier than the Yamaha V6 it replaced.
I always have my eye on a 1991-95 SHO 5 speed in green with gray leather, in good to very good condition, unmodified and unmolested, with decently low mileage. I know that's asking a lot but if I do find one that meets those criteria I will buy it.
Look in south Florida there is probably some old retired Canadian from Quebec that has a pristine one sitting in the garage!😂
First Gen SHO is in my top 5.....
Love them!
Had a white 95 auto. Loved that car.. fast for back in the day
Love the SHO even the regular Taurus as quick for the time.
Some parts and a lot of that induction design molded in plastic found it's way into the 96 and up Windstar 3.8 making 200 horsepower instead of the 140 in the T Bird and Taurus . The extra HP and torque meant the right front tire had half the life of the other 3 . My wifes 96 van was much quicker than the many used Fox body Cougars and Birds i used to pick up as cheap work cars . looks like the same guage cluster the van had . Hunday-Kia had a real crude copy of the engine when they first tried mini vans that was fire prone.
An era which will never come back sadly. A family car which was manual absutely amazing
I had a 2016 SHO, great car and loved it. Traded for a truck before the dreaded Duratec V6 Water Pump ate itself. Heavy car, yes, but is still way faster than the old ones. Mine bone stock managed 13.94 @ 100mph in the 1/4, and with a Tune, 3 Bar MAP Sensor, and CAI I managed to go 12.88 @ 105.
I always thought there SHOs were really cool when they were having a run.
Chrysler countered with the Dodge Spirit R/T, getting 224 hp and 217 ft-lbs of torque from a 2.2L 4 cylinder. This outdid the Taurus SHO, but only made 2 years and people hardly noticed it at the time.
Uh, cuz it was 2.2 head gasket failure pile,of junk
I'm sure, it was because, the Daytona was the IROC model of that era.
Car and Driver (I believe) did a comparison article on the Z34, the Spirit R/T, and the SHO. The Spirit owned the performance numbers. I believe 0-60 was 5.7 seconds.
@@charlesdalton985 , oh I forgot the Z34. 😂😂😂😂😂 (Of course, that was easy to do even when they were still brand new.)
Chrysler actually had a prototype 2.2 that put out over 400 horsepower. They were doing the same thing Ford did, and outsourcing the head. I don't remember which exotic car manufacturer was making the head for them, but general motors bought the majority share in the company just to stop Chrysler. I no longer worked at the Chrysler dealer by then but I had friends that did and actually drove one. Torque steer was so bad that when it shifted gears, it jumped a lane.
I had a silver 1995 for 8 years. BEST SEATS EVER!! It was an auto and was a fun ride. It had ~283k miles and was becoming a money pit. I wanted another performance sedan and in 2004 started looking around. I was not interested in another FWD car but back then there was the Nissan Maxima, Cadillac STS, Nissan Altima SE-R... and then I found the perfect replacement. A 2004 silver Mercury Marauder that I still have today with only 56k miles.
Steve always gets lucky finding those magazines in junked cars 😀
I loved my red ‘92 SHO automatic with black leather interior. Minor point but I loved the side curb lights that went on automatically when you activated the turn signal for that side.
I believe the front bumpers were unique to SHO models. And the functional fog lights were cool. I enjoyed smoking some other high performance cars of the day coming out of full stop toll booths.
What did the car in ultimately after 12 yrs was an AC system that no mechanic by me could get working, annoying expensive repairs like $400 for the failed ignition key switch, $400 for new radiator, a loose r&p steering system requiring another $500 or so, and finally it wouldn’t start and the fix would cost about as much as the car’s book value.
I miss that car though!!
I bought a red 92 SHO from another soldier in Germany in 1993. This car was as rare as unicorns because the PX didn't sell the SHO in Germany. If you ever saw one it was because it was shipped in household goods from the states! This car was so much fun on the autobahn! Super fast for the time! It was a real head turner, too! Sure miss it!
Good morning . That car is a diamond amongst the coal . 😊
I always liked the fact that it was a sporty-looking family sedan with a manual transmission. My friend’s dad had a 1993 model with an automatic for his company car when I was in highschool. It was roomy, comfortable, & ride & sounded nice.
The newer Taurus face reminds me of a Flathead Catfish, lol!
Too bad this one is gone, but I sure hope the drivetrain can be rescued to keep another alive or build a tribute.
If Yamaha was involved, it should've been the Ford SHO YZ. 😀