@@pierreroberge4927 TH-cam screws their Content Creators out of their ad revenue every day, especially using Google Analytics and Software. So I wouldn't rely on that... and they can't. Donations/Patreons/Pledges are an absolute necessity anymore if someone actually plans on making content for a living or wants to make a profit. Motorweek is old school too.
@buzzwaldron6195 you must have never worked on one, once you remove the intake it is pretty much exactly like a vulcan 3.0 in terms of accessibility. Also those engines sell for like $200 today lol...
I got the sense the half-moon gauges really weren't his thing either, you could hear it in his voice. I half expected the lack of gauges/lack of fully circular gauges to come up on the "misses" list.
I love how in 1989, 65 series tires were considered "low profile". Today the only place you will find tires with a sidewall that tall would be on a truck.
Not just for looks :) If you look up "Blue Turd" you'll find a 9-second MTX SHO who only recently had to change out those intake runners to achieve 1000+hp
I remember recording this with my VCR on an early Saturday morning about 30 years ago! I waited anxiously for a week as the previous week’s episode gave a ‘ teaser’.
@@egman5965 loved the super coupe! And SHO! Both out did the Europeans, especially for the money, at the time! I'm driving a Lincoln MKS EB now, but probably will replace it with a Tesla, maybe an Explorer ST if I can deal with internal combustion and a guilty conscience for another 5 years.
You can't think that because Yamaha had to follow Ford's directions with this engine! They let them build the engine but not without looking over their shoulder during the process@@KingCast65
@@painterboy454 And then there were the annoying mechanical failures that came with age. Oh the water pump is going bad and leaking. Oh it's leaking right onto the crankshaft position sensor. Oh now the car doesn't run. Awesome!
@@OnTheRocks71 you just replace the parts that need to be replaced.Its as simple as that.this car is definitely worth a little trouble.The SHO was marketed to people who could afford the maintenance bills,if you just take care of them they won't die.
I bought this same car brand new in 1989. Very fast car for its time. One thing they don't mention outside of it's 0-60 and 1/4 mile times... The car picked up speed on the top end very quickly and would easily peg the 140mph speedometer. The chevy caprice police cars of the day topped out at about 125mph. ;-) Ended up owning 5 of them. Had my last one, a 1995 mtx for 18 years. Should have kept it.
That stock 89 SHO would have out-paced a 1997 4.6L V8 Thunderbird. I got mine to 60 in 8.8 Seconds. The Final-Year T-Bird had 205 Horses. That Taurus would have put even some of the 1996-1998 Mustangs in a tight place to out run them in a straight line.
In one of the earliest videos they loaded up the car, Lincoln I think, with the classic 70's hard sided luggage. That was back when John Davis did the actual driving. They switched to the newer stuff to have a standardized "luggage" measurement. I like it because it better shows useable space and not just theoretical cubic feet. Similar to their obsession with putting plywood in the beds of pickup trucks.
This was one of the most impressive Motorweek tests I've seen You don't expect a lot of performance out of any Taurus and this car was ready to impress you.
Back then, SHO and Dodge Spirit RT caught a lot of my attention. But I have always wondered why the Yamaha engine was only found in the Taurus SHO. It could perform really well inside a Probe GT too.
SHO got the Yamaha can do 7.0 seconds to 60. Probe could do the same stock. SHO engine was large for a Probe. The Probe got it's own sweet engines anyway. Turbo for the 1st gen, KL v6 for the 2nd gen. Klze swap can put it under 5.5 seconds, naturally aspirated. They went a third way with the Contour SVT and a 4th with the Thunderbird SC.
I had a friend that built a Sable wagon with an SHO/5speed transplant. Built engine, eventually had SHO Shop cams, an M90 supercharger and an NOS kit. That car humiliated a lot of expensive cars on the street and at Nelson Ledges.
@@Jag-leaper Ford made 40 experimental aluminum-bodied Sables powered by SHO engines called the AIV. Only 20 were available for LEASE, like @Vulcan Taurus Performance said in Canada. Once returned, they were likely crushed - like the GM EV1. There might be a handful left floating around somewhere though.
Lucas Arthurs - Cars were lighter back then which helped, but you can actually stop a car a little bit sooner in a non-ABS car provided you know what you’re doing and conditions are favorable of course.
Take the red pill - Eh, just tie a rope around the fattest passenger and toss them out the window. Makeshift boat anchor. You’ll be stopped in no time. 😂
@@4EyeFoxbody water pump isnt necessarily a HUGE COMMON failure like on some other cars, its just that when it does fail, if it leaks into the timing cover the coolant will land on the crank position sensor and short it out. Wont be a problem if you keep up with 60k maintenance, which involves valve lash adjustment and timing component replacement (just like any similar aged honda)
No automatic transmission available?? How dare they!!! Fast forward to today and many manufacturers don’t even make sedans let alone manual transmission, sporty family sedans.
having owned multiple generation SHO's, i can conclusively state the second generation was the best. That being said, this first gen is a terrific car.
Unfortunately, rust got all of them. Ford in the late 80's and 90's had major rust issues. I remember seeing them rot from the middle of the door, spreading outwards.
@@jayprosser7349 That's the problem. People want that kind of money for them now. They were great when about 10 years old. No one wanted them and you could buy them for 500 to 1.5k
I've never seen any of them rusted out. I live in New Mexico. Your statements cannot be applied ubiquitously as in states that don't regularly use salt on the roads, the car won't rust out - and that's actually the majority of states.
I was 10 years old and vividly remember the one my neighbor had. That exhaust note was intoxicating even to a 10 year old. Not surprising that it sounds great, Yamaha’s logo are dual tuning forks so acoustics are always a priority for them.
Bought a 1994 and raised the family with it , 160,000 miles. 2 years ago I found a super nice 1992 almost identical to the one we wore out . And yes it is in my stable now . Interestingly enough , the value of these are climbing now . It's not very often you get to go back in time 25 years . Right time right place and the kids are gone .
I'll never forget being a teenager, and my dad and I were on the highway in his '88 BMW M3. This SHO got behind us, went to pass, my dad downshifted and it was on. The SHO blew by us, and the guy waved, and my mouth dropped. 😯 Loved those SHO's ever since!
Yea, but that M3 is probably worth 20x what the average SHO is worth now. LOL But yes, they were incredibly quick cars for the time. I really miss my '94 5-speed.
ragingbull94mtx Value is simply what someone is willing to pay for something. I wouldn’t pay squat for an older BMW or Mercedes because of reliability concerns. Most Italian makes are right there as well. FIAT stands for “Fix It Again Tony”, lol. I’m Italian as well.
Thank you for this Ford Taurus SHO review. I remember this car. I think it did eventually get a automatic transmission. It is nice to know they were planning a Mercury Sable version, but it never happened. It probably would have been called Mercury Sable LTS. The Taurus SHO earned its reputation. Thank you again for sharing.
I was just thinking about the planned Sable version. I really loved this car and the engine. I was really disappointed when the V-6 Lincoln LS didn't come with the Yamaha engine but, It had the manual transmission and was heavier so, the performance didn't even seem close. Knowing what I know now, I bet I could live with not having that nice engine. I have a 2006 LS V8 now and just increasing tire pressure to at least 38 psi, turns the car into a true Sports Sedan. Mine has no moon roof so, it really changes direction well. Well enough that BMWs and Audis drop jaw because it's really has a docile appearance.
Man, the SHO really was a powerful masterpiece for the time. 220 horsepower, just a little less than a mustang GT. Going by that logic today the SHO would have about 450 BHP. Just incredible.
Oh how I miss the 90s cars. The interior of BMW E36, E38, E39, Audi A6, Mercedes Benz E and S Class and Lexus LS were beautiful, cozy, elegant. The soft leather comfy seats, gorgeous wood grain dash and consoles with chrome door handles, and lots of dials and buttons. Those days are gone forever 😔😢
My buddy had a beat up 90’s Lexus LS in high school with over 400,000 miles on it and it still ran like a champ. The interior was so comfortable. Those 90’s plush interiors were awesome. The big American sedans from the 70 and 80’s take the cake though for most comfortable interiors. The Chevy Caprice from that era essentially had a couch in it. Good times.
@@Ward413 good ol' days. But 400k miles on the clock? That is insane. But then again, it was a Lexus. They're bulletproof, and not just their powertrain but basically every single part. And you're absolutely right. The seats of a 1990s Chevy are soft and plushy as a cloud.
I LOVE the Zoom in shot of that 1989 Mercury Sable! Is that the all aluminum-bodied one that was being developed in Canada? This is the first footage I have seen of an "AIV" that was painted Red actually. IF it is indeed a Mercury Sable AIV. I thought that "AIV's" were built upon the 2nd gen SHO's platform only however? This is the 1st generation of SHO built upon the 1st gen Taurus. The 2nd generation SHO/Taurus was not released until the '1992' Model year. The vast majority of Mercury Sable AIV's were also a Sky Blueish Green metallic. So I am curious, can anyone give more info on what this SHO Sable is? I've never even seen it until now.
The engine gets all the fame in the SHO (it totally deserves this), but the chassis is equally commendable. The first generation SHO is quite athletic for a midsize family sedan. The interior quality is also of a higher standard (especially in the 89 model year). I'm sure Ford was really putting their best foot forward here to create a truly special performance car. I see these early models becoming very collectible in the next 5-10 years. Maybe I'm a little bias since I just restored a 1989 SHO, but these cars are just so rad.
I owned an 89 and 92 5.0, a 92 Thunderbird SC and drove a 91 SHO. You could argue the SHO felt the quickest. That 7 second time is a serious undercut. SHO was Such a different monster than Stang, Camaro and Trans Am!
That’s not actually surprising at all. 150hp per liter of displacement has been the target for a mildly turbocharged engine 10 years ago. A performance turbo engine is expected to deliver 200+hp per liter these days.
My first job out of high school was at a train depot where we unloaded cars for Ford to be delivered to the local dealerships. It was 1990 and I was an 18 year-old getting to drive all kinds of Mustangs, Explorers and Probes. I do remember getting excited one day when I jumped into a Taurus and found it had stick shift. It was an SHO! Good times.
I had an 89, 92, and 93 SHO. I always enjoy the sound of the intake at 4K+. And I swear my 89 could smoke the tires better than my 94 Cobra with a 408W.
Love these 1st gen SHOs! Wanted one since I was a kid and finally I got talking to a guy with a nice white ‘91 who was thinking of selling. I showed up at his door the next day cash in hand.
I've been waiting a long time for this! What a great way to start the year for retro reviews! Thanks for posting. I miss my '94 5-speed (hence the username).
I haven’t even watched the video yet and I already like it. Let me get a coffee. As a teenager, I used to love the Taurus SHO and would have been thrilled if my parents (or me) had one. Never did. I was drawn to the SHO’s understated looks hiding all of that performance! Little did I know Ford was merely a few years ahead of its time - lots of attainable cars would have 24v DOHC V6s within a decade or so after this car debuted. Ironically, cars with these motors are much harder to find new in 2020; it seems almost everything is either a four-banger or electric now. And all but the cheapest cars and SUVS are about as fast as this SHO off the line or through the 1/4 mile. This car was Ford’s Lotus Carlton, in spirit anyway: a normally sedate family sedan transformed into a truly quick and nimble sports car. As JD indicated, it had the performance to embarrass cars costing 2-3 times as much, yet at the end of the day the SHO was still a humble Taurus. Still waiting for that Mercury Sable HO version though...!
@Frankie Basile 145? Good lord... I won't go into how dangerous that is - it makes me sound old! - only I will say that is a very impressive speed for any car! Especially a Taurus.
Had a 91 Sho from 01-06, and I drove the hell out that car!, Went from L.A. to Seattle, bout 3 times, front Seattle to Vegas 2 times!, And boy, that car was a monster!, I killed everything on the road, whenever I felt like it!, Had to change my suspension bits in the front 3 times though, from burning rubber, in the first 3 gears!, One of my favorite cars!!!
I just seen an older gentleman driving one like in mint condition on the hwy the other day. I was almost tempted to try an run with him in 06 g6 gtp but i was to star struck admiring it so i just rode side by side cruising with him till he got off the hwy.
I had the 97 Taurus sho with the 3.4l Yamaha v8. it was a fun sedan. I had it in high school and naturally loved how high it reved. I sold it because I wanted a manual and bought an 87 mustang gt t top (i miss that car to this day)
220 horsepower from three liters was pretty heady stuff thirty years ago. It is less impressive today, but if I found one in good shape, I would have my checkbook out like a flash.
I watch all these just to hear the intro and John's review. They should've had someone shadow him thru the years wouldn't have been the same but you get that vibe
I had a 98', fun cars! but man, the TQ steer on them was terrible. I kind of wish I had kept it for longer, they are hard to find in any sort of decent shape these days.
I'm in a new found love for this car. I really want one. But in my country they are impossible to find. I also love this retro reviews. Amazing time capsule.
I had a 93 mint green mercury Sable... and that 3.0 Vulcan v6 was damned near bullet proof. That car went through a foot of snow, 2 feet of water (and It didn't leak) it finally got disposed of when the abs saved me from hitting a deer... the ABS worked.. but the brake lines exploded due to age . Replacing the brake lines and ABS sensors would have cost more than the car was worth. But it hauled the car down from 80
Not so outrageous at the time. The BMW 325 had 50 less HP than the Taurus and was more than a second slower to 60; the BMW topped out at 127 MPH and the SHO at 143. The only BMW faster than the SHO in 1989 was the M5, and that cost $50,000 and was only a half-second faster to 60.
This car was a sleeper during its time . It out performed Mustangs on tracks but not strips . It cornered very well while fox body Mustangs handled poorly .
At my family’s scrapyard we got one of these sweethearts a few months back. Sadly we had to crush it shortly after it came in because no one buys parts off them. I wanted to save it but they were right. Such a good looking and fast car for it’s time.
My dad had this 1st. Gen. SHO when I was in H.S. I blew away every other (high end) car at the time, with this vehicle. Acura Legends, Benzes and Bimmers alike. Not to mention getting solicited to a race by random Mustang and Camaro owners!
Had an 87 turaus...loved it..i drove the piss outta it..couldent kill that plain 3.0 v6..i actually traded it in for a pontiac grand prix 1990..big mistake..makes me wish i still had the ford..best car i ever had..and i bought it used in 1998..only had 80k km on it
Drove a Taurus doing plain clothes Security at Universal Studios.. That was a really groundbreaking car back in the 80s. It was the first American car that felt like something from Europe when you drove it..
The one thing i dislike about the retro reviews. Mentions a Mercury Sable SHO in the works, when one never even came out. Getting me hyped for no reason lmao
I had a used 1990 SHO in 2000. Great fun but ultimately the engine proved too fragile. She threw a rod and I could not find an affordable repair solution. Here’s the kicker: I replaced her with a 2003 V-6 Camry and still drive it today. The Camry has very similar performance to the old SHO.
My dad got a red 89 in the early 90's. It was fun, looked nice and could really go when you wanted. However, the shifter was just not a performance deliverer. It required a deep step on the clutch and it was a long throw between gears. That got in the way of maximizing it's sporty potential.
Ive always wondered whats going on with that down hill strip they use for speed runs..How the heck are you gonna get an accurate 0-60 and 1/4mi time testing cars on a downhill?
'89 was the last year of that dash, although I think it still looks good compared to the '90+'s. It looks like that this '89 SHO had the stock Ford cassette deck..not the JBL upgrade. I think GM Delco made a better sounding stock system than Ford in this era.
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Just upload your footage to TH-cam, you will be making money on the ads. These Retro Review are all paid for anyway.
@@pierreroberge4927 TH-cam screws their Content Creators out of their ad revenue every day, especially using Google Analytics and Software. So I wouldn't rely on that... and they can't. Donations/Patreons/Pledges are an absolute necessity anymore if someone actually plans on making content for a living or wants to make a profit. Motorweek is old school too.
Pretty hard to take you seriously when you've got this idiot calling a FWD economy sedan a "sports" car.
Taurus SHO, Escort GT, Probe GT, Mustang GT, Thunderbird SC! Ford was KILLING it in the late 80s-early 90s
true
Don't forget the original F-150 Lightning
That $10,000 SHO engine was a plumbers/mechanics nightmare!
@buzzwaldron6195 you must have never worked on one, once you remove the intake it is pretty much exactly like a vulcan 3.0 in terms of accessibility. Also those engines sell for like $200 today lol...
...and the Mark VII LSC from Lincoln.
4:26 His heart breaks everytime he finds out there are no oil pressure and battery voltage gauges
At least he didn't have any complaints about where the radio is mounted.
I'm dying 😂. He literally brings it up in every review 😅
I got the sense the half-moon gauges really weren't his thing either, you could hear it in his voice. I half expected the lack of gauges/lack of fully circular gauges to come up on the "misses" list.
Well you're not in a Bronco, F-150, Probe, or T-Bird which had a full set John wanted at the time
Hahaha
I love how in 1989, 65 series tires were considered "low profile". Today the only place you will find tires with a sidewall that tall would be on a truck.
The base-base model of it at that.
@Country Boy And they ride like CRAP!
Yeah today is low profile tires and crap hard foam seats. I miss the old style plush seats
65 is still kind of low, it’s just that the huge diameter rubber band tires of today throw everything out of perspective.
My Taurus L rode on 195/70R14 tires. I'm also surprised this car's tire profile was somewhat similar to the base model.
The intake manifold looks beautiful.
Hahahahaha
Yep no plastics
Almost as pretty as the 3.0 Alfa V6
Not just for looks :) If you look up "Blue Turd" you'll find a 9-second MTX SHO who only recently had to change out those intake runners to achieve 1000+hp
It was indeed a work of art.
I remember recording this with my VCR on an early Saturday morning about 30 years ago! I waited anxiously for a week as the previous week’s episode gave a ‘ teaser’.
Are you from MD, back then we could only see this show on MPT aka Maryland Public Television
@@jasonvogelsang7034 ch 22!
Lol my favorite show I still watch till this day
This is a pretty interesting car. I'm really impressed with how little body roll it has going through the cones.
You would not believe it was a Taurus when you were driving one. Bad ass car for sure.
Thunderbird had a similar version called the super coupe, it was supercharged
@Frankie Basile You and me both. Mine was a moonlight blue, 5-speed.
@@egman5965 loved the super coupe! And SHO! Both out did the Europeans, especially for the money, at the time! I'm driving a Lincoln MKS EB now, but probably will replace it with a Tesla, maybe an Explorer ST if I can deal with internal combustion and a guilty conscience for another 5 years.
It was a surprisely fun car. And, in my opinion, this was the best looking of the generations.
Love these retro reviews.
Motor week basically is the O.G when it comes to car reviews.
Its 2020 we don't say lit or OG anymore.
@@springwoodslasher79 you dont
Televised, but there were loads of car reviews in magazine format. They were/are far more in-depth than anything you'll find in video format.
60-0 in just 109 ft. without ABS is impressive even back in '89!
Stopping distances having nothing to do with the presence or absence of ABS.
The intake manifold on the SHOs is such a masterpiece. An awesome car!
That engine was amenable to RWD swaps as well, the manifold was symmetrical and could be turned 180.
Thank Yamaha for that.
You can't think that because Yamaha had to follow Ford's directions with this engine! They let them build the engine but not without looking over their shoulder during the process@@KingCast65
Anyone that has ever had the joy of owning one of these V6 SHO's knows just how magical 3950 is.
Once the years passed and the mileage added up it was not magical to own one when you discovered the cost of those Yamaha engine parts, lol.
@@painterboy454 And then there were the annoying mechanical failures that came with age. Oh the water pump is going bad and leaking. Oh it's leaking right onto the crankshaft position sensor. Oh now the car doesn't run. Awesome!
@@OnTheRocks71 you don't recommend buying one???
Especially when you removed the silencer from the air box!
@@OnTheRocks71 you just replace the parts that need to be replaced.Its as simple as that.this car is definitely worth a little trouble.The SHO was marketed to people who could afford the maintenance bills,if you just take care of them they won't die.
I bought the intake manifold from a junked car the other day. It's gonna become wall art. Beautiful runners.
I bought this same car brand new in 1989. Very fast car for its time. One thing they don't mention outside of it's 0-60 and 1/4 mile times... The car picked up speed on the top end very quickly and would easily peg the 140mph speedometer. The chevy caprice police cars of the day topped out at about 125mph. ;-) Ended up owning 5 of them. Had my last one, a 1995 mtx for 18 years. Should have kept it.
4:29 "The speedometer reads to 140mph which is just shy of the SHO's top speed."
Wow, 60-0 in 109 feet is seriously impressive, especially for that day in age.
Even more so considering the tires of the day. It would be interesting to see what they would do with a modern performance tire.
Without abs
That stock 89 SHO would have out-paced a 1997 4.6L V8 Thunderbird. I got mine to 60 in 8.8 Seconds. The Final-Year T-Bird had 205 Horses. That Taurus would have put even some of the 1996-1998 Mustangs in a tight place to out run them in a straight line.
@@MrGreatness412
ABS actually lengthens the stopping distance, the only benefit is you can steer while breaking.
@@ZepG yeah I know.
2:30 that Yamaha head generated some legit high rpm sounds!
The slalom shows almost no lean, well done!
"Yamaha, the Japanese motorcycle people" 😆
Lol, imagine if he said "Remember Pearl Harbor?" afterwards.
At least he didn't say the "Keyboard people".
Yamaha helped with the old Toyota 2000 GT, original Nissan Z and all prior Toyota Supras, so they have a heritage in sports cars as well.
@@cadsux Obviously they know what they are doing...the engine in the SHO was arguably the best to ever grace the engine bay of any Taurus!
Sounds like a name for a bad low budget horror movie
The beauty of that intake has held up.
The car that had the 5.0L Mustang owners thinking WTF! at the stoplight 🤣👍
I still would like to have one of these or maybe a Thunderbird SC.
Buddy had one. Blew up three times. Miss a shift and the supercharger would over boost engine. Awesome car though.
@@skippysvr4586 The SC had weak connecting rods, couldn't take the extra cylinder pressure.
Yep, it was for the Mustang owner that got married and had kids!
Friend of mine had the Thunderbird turbo coupe. I beat him easily in a 96 3.8l Buick Regal.
@@CamaroAmx the turbo Thunderbird was a turbo 4 cylinder.. the super coupe was a supercharged 3.8 v6.. kinda different bub
I love those flat ass suitcases they always use. So nostalgic.
In one of the earliest videos they loaded up the car, Lincoln I think, with the classic 70's hard sided luggage. That was back when John Davis did the actual driving. They switched to the newer stuff to have a standardized "luggage" measurement. I like it because it better shows useable space and not just theoretical cubic feet. Similar to their obsession with putting plywood in the beds of pickup trucks.
This was one of the most impressive Motorweek tests I've seen
You don't expect a lot of performance out of any Taurus and this car was ready to impress you.
Back then, SHO and Dodge Spirit RT caught a lot of my attention. But I have always wondered why the Yamaha engine was only found in the Taurus SHO. It could perform really well inside a Probe GT too.
so.. what did you bought? Taurus?
Because the Probe was not a Ford but actually a Mazda 6 built in the Flat Rock assembly plant and sold as a Ford.
SHO got the Yamaha can do 7.0 seconds to 60. Probe could do the same stock. SHO engine was large for a Probe. The Probe got it's own sweet engines anyway. Turbo for the 1st gen, KL v6 for the 2nd gen. Klze swap can put it under 5.5 seconds, naturally aspirated. They went a third way with the Contour SVT and a 4th with the Thunderbird SC.
Yamaha also designed some engines for Toyota
@@더블캠 I bought an 91 Integra which was later traded in for a 93 Eagle Talon TSi AWD.
Well he got what he wished for. Now everything has an automatic
Benjamin the beginning of the end😢
But he's even more sad now since cars don't provide any oil pressure and battery voltage gauges anymore v😂
I think automatics are the last of our worries. We are headed towards autonomous vehicles. 😥
I don't really care anymore. Many modern automatics are awesome, so...
@@McBeamer94 lmao i remember Ray Boccino.
I never knew they were considering a Sable SHO. Learn something new every day, even if it's a useless as this.
unfortunately it never made it into production.
They did in Canada. It was a Sable AAV, All Aluminum Vehicle.
I had a friend that built a Sable wagon with an SHO/5speed transplant. Built engine, eventually had SHO Shop cams, an M90 supercharger and an NOS kit. That car humiliated a lot of expensive cars on the street and at Nelson Ledges.
@@garysawyers8730 Yeah and it probably made for a great, reliable "daily"...
You must have been born in the 90s
I’ve watched a lot of motorweek slalom tests and this is possibly the best I’ve ever seen on a sedan. Impressive!
Same here. I don't think I've ever seen a sedan do so well. Very impressive.
Agreed!
Well that sable never saw the light of day.
A small number was available in Canada. It never made it to US markets.
@@ragintaurusmusclemercury7023 any word on why that would been cool
@@Jag-leaper Ford made 40 experimental aluminum-bodied Sables powered by SHO engines called the AIV. Only 20 were available for LEASE, like @Vulcan Taurus Performance said in Canada. Once returned, they were likely crushed - like the GM EV1. There might be a handful left floating around somewhere though.
@@ragingbull94mtx Filed under: TIL
@@ragintaurusmusclemercury7023 just found your video.
I'm always genuinely impressed how well some of these old cars braked. 109ft is VERY impressive.
Lucas Arthurs - Cars were lighter back then which helped, but you can actually stop a car a little bit sooner in a non-ABS car provided you know what you’re doing and conditions are favorable of course.
@@drivedb7 The SHO weighed over 3400lbs, most lighter cars were stopping around 125' at the time.
4 big rotors always works!
1982 EXPert - They certainly don’t hurt! You have some interesting content btw. Gave you a sub!
Stops on a dime and gives you 6 cents change!
Take the red pill - Eh, just tie a rope around the fattest passenger and toss them out the window. Makeshift boat anchor. You’ll be stopped in no time. 😂
I love the first generation Taurus... really want to get my hands on one
“When you see it move over” I love my SHO
Hahahahaha
more like when u see me; GTFOutta my way🤣😅👍👍👍
Do you recommend buying one?? Anything I should be looking out for?? Water pump??
@@4EyeFoxbody water pump isnt necessarily a HUGE COMMON failure like on some other cars, its just that when it does fail, if it leaks into the timing cover the coolant will land on the crank position sensor and short it out. Wont be a problem if you keep up with 60k maintenance, which involves valve lash adjustment and timing component replacement (just like any similar aged honda)
the first time i heard a critic complain about not having a automatic trans....lol
EXACTLY
This is the same fatass that complained about narrow seats in the GT350
@@G5Ckxew lol
@stylac Hey, have some respect
USUALLY is the other way around... 🤔
These things were a ton of fun to drive. Wish I still had mine.
I remember watching this episode when I was 9 years old.
I love these retro reviews
when he opens the hood your eyes have to re focus a bit on the intake, what a gem. drove one once.
No automatic transmission available?? How dare they!!!
Fast forward to today and many manufacturers don’t even make sedans let alone manual transmission, sporty family sedans.
The last one I know of from Ford was the Fusion sport. Auto only ofc but somehow they crammed the TT 2.7 Ecoboost in it.
Fiesta Ecoboost was manual only, same with Fiesta ST.
@@halohunter5217 I'm fairly sure the I3 Ecoboost fiesta had an auto variant. I don't remember if the 1.0 or 1.5 tho
helo im from the future, Ford doesn't make cars any more, except the mustang, weird times.
having owned multiple generation SHO's, i can conclusively state the second generation was the best.
That being said, this first gen is a terrific car.
Unfortunately, rust got all of them. Ford in the late 80's and 90's had major rust issues. I remember seeing them rot from the middle of the door, spreading outwards.
@@jayprosser7349 you have an unicorn.
@@jayprosser7349 sounds like total BS from that dude.
@@jayprosser7349 That's the problem. People want that kind of money for them now. They were great when about 10 years old. No one wanted them and you could buy them for 500 to 1.5k
I've never seen any of them rusted out. I live in New Mexico. Your statements cannot be applied ubiquitously as in states that don't regularly use salt on the roads, the car won't rust out - and that's actually the majority of states.
@@buckhorncortez Dude you could leave a piece of raw sheet metal outside in NM and in 20 years it wouldn't rust lol.
I was 10 years old and vividly remember the one my neighbor had. That exhaust note was intoxicating even to a 10 year old. Not surprising that it sounds great, Yamaha’s logo are dual tuning forks so acoustics are always a priority for them.
Gone, now, except the engine, probably
That thing has one of the best looking intake manifolds ever. Made by Yamaha, it sounds like a jetski.
Bought a 1994 and raised the family with it , 160,000 miles. 2 years ago I found a super nice 1992 almost identical to the one we wore out . And yes it is in my stable now . Interestingly enough , the value of these are climbing now . It's not very often you get to go back in time 25 years . Right time right place and the kids are gone .
watching the SHO go through the slalom dead flat never ever ever gets old. it's like magic.
Gotta love retro reviews.
They are entertaining and it shows us how far we've come.
I knew a guy in high school who had one of these. It was a cool car. Today, it’s kind of a collectors’ item. I still like it.
Conan O'Brien still has his SHO. There’s a skit and shows it on his 60 minute interview.
Someday Leno will need another one and figure out a way to swindle Conan out of it
I'll never forget being a teenager, and my dad and I were on the highway in his '88 BMW M3. This SHO got behind us, went to pass, my dad downshifted and it was on. The SHO blew by us, and the guy waved, and my mouth dropped. 😯 Loved those SHO's ever since!
Yea, but that M3 is probably worth 20x what the average SHO is worth now. LOL But yes, they were incredibly quick cars for the time. I really miss my '94 5-speed.
ragingbull94mtx That M3 is no longer on the road. They were maintenance nightmares; always in the shop.
@@Lucille69caddy Hahaha, so you're saying because there's so few left of them on the road, that's why they're going up in value. Makes sense!
ragingbull94mtx Value is simply what someone is willing to pay for something. I wouldn’t pay squat for an older BMW or Mercedes because of reliability concerns. Most Italian makes are right there as well. FIAT stands for “Fix It Again Tony”, lol. I’m Italian as well.
I've been binge watching MotorWeek in awe with all these rides
Thank you for this Ford Taurus SHO review. I remember this car. I think it did eventually get a automatic transmission. It is nice to know they were planning a Mercury Sable version, but it never happened. It probably would have been called Mercury Sable LTS. The Taurus SHO earned its reputation. Thank you again for sharing.
I was just thinking about the planned Sable version. I really loved this car and the engine. I was really disappointed when the V-6 Lincoln LS didn't come with the Yamaha engine but, It had the manual transmission and was heavier so, the performance didn't even seem close. Knowing what I know now, I bet I could live with not having that nice engine. I have a 2006 LS V8 now and just increasing tire pressure to at least 38 psi, turns the car into a true Sports Sedan. Mine has no moon roof so, it really changes direction well. Well enough that BMWs and Audis drop jaw because it's really has a docile appearance.
There was a few SHO powered Sables sold in Canada. They never made it to the US markets.
@@ragintaurusmusclemercury7023 That is interesting. I did not know that.
@Country Boy true but, it didn't have that refinement and that ability to rev high.
My God what a beautiful car of that beautiful era
Now bulk have rusted away
Man, the SHO really was a powerful masterpiece for the time. 220 horsepower, just a little less than a mustang GT. Going by that logic today the SHO would have about 450 BHP. Just incredible.
Tune only Ecoboost SHOs are nudging that figure. Shame Ford decided to discontinue all sedans.
Zack Lewine Multivalve, OHC will do that. It will also suffer in the torque dept, where the GT shines.
See the intake manifold how beauty he is 😍 1:36 , nowadays they use plastic 😑
Oh how I miss the 90s cars. The interior of BMW E36, E38, E39, Audi A6, Mercedes Benz E and S Class and Lexus LS were beautiful, cozy, elegant. The soft leather comfy seats, gorgeous wood grain dash and consoles with chrome door handles, and lots of dials and buttons. Those days are gone forever 😔😢
My buddy had a beat up 90’s Lexus LS in high school with over 400,000 miles on it and it still ran like a champ. The interior was so comfortable. Those 90’s plush interiors were awesome. The big American sedans from the 70 and 80’s take the cake though for most comfortable interiors. The Chevy Caprice from that era essentially had a couch in it. Good times.
@@Ward413 good ol' days. But 400k miles on the clock? That is insane. But then again, it was a Lexus. They're bulletproof, and not just their powertrain but basically every single part.
And you're absolutely right. The seats of a 1990s Chevy are soft and plushy as a cloud.
@@Rhtcc_Dtcrtc I think you've never been inside a 1996 Benz S500, 1999 BMW 740Li, or even a 1993 Audi 90CS Quattro.
I always love these retro reviews!!!
I LOVE the Zoom in shot of that 1989 Mercury Sable! Is that the all aluminum-bodied one that was being developed in Canada? This is the first footage I have seen of an "AIV" that was painted Red actually. IF it is indeed a Mercury Sable AIV. I thought that "AIV's" were built upon the 2nd gen SHO's platform only however? This is the 1st generation of SHO built upon the 1st gen Taurus. The 2nd generation SHO/Taurus was not released until the '1992' Model year. The vast majority of Mercury Sable AIV's were also a Sky Blueish Green metallic. So I am curious, can anyone give more info on what this SHO Sable is? I've never even seen it until now.
I enjoyed this show back then still do now …thanks for sharing
Great cars from the past. Test drove one back in 1990. Very fast!
The engine gets all the fame in the SHO (it totally deserves this), but the chassis is equally commendable. The first generation SHO is quite athletic for a midsize family sedan. The interior quality is also of a higher standard (especially in the 89 model year). I'm sure Ford was really putting their best foot forward here to create a truly special performance car. I see these early models becoming very collectible in the next 5-10 years. Maybe I'm a little bias since I just restored a 1989 SHO, but these cars are just so rad.
Man, i miss my SHO. I would love a 91 white + SHO with White slicers and black leather 🤤
I owned an 89 and 92 5.0, a 92 Thunderbird SC and drove a 91 SHO. You could argue the SHO felt the quickest. That 7 second time is a serious undercut. SHO was Such a different monster than Stang, Camaro and Trans Am!
Love the retro videos. Car tech has come a long way in 30 years. 2.0 liter turbo 4s are putting out over 300 horsepower.
That’s not actually surprising at all. 150hp per liter of displacement has been the target for a mildly turbocharged engine 10 years ago. A performance turbo engine is expected to deliver 200+hp per liter these days.
Their pushed to their maximum. Good luck with reliability.
My first job out of high school was at a train depot where we unloaded cars for Ford to be delivered to the local dealerships. It was 1990 and I was an 18 year-old getting to drive all kinds of Mustangs, Explorers and Probes.
I do remember getting excited one day when I jumped into a Taurus and found it had stick shift. It was an SHO! Good times.
That was an awesome trip down memory lane!
I had an 89, 92, and 93 SHO. I always enjoy the sound of the intake at 4K+. And I swear my 89 could smoke the tires better than my 94 Cobra with a 408W.
Love these 1st gen SHOs! Wanted one since I was a kid and finally I got talking to a guy with a nice white ‘91 who was thinking of selling. I showed up at his door the next day cash in hand.
I just wanna give this car a matte black paint job, grab my giant pistol, and go fight crime in Detroit.
Easy there robocop
I’d buy that for a dollar
Detroit is one of the boss level cities. Maybe start somewhere smaller first.
GhaV jGRite (jeaHAvee) I live in Michigan. Detroit ain’t shit compared to Chicago. Or Gary, Indiana. Way worse. At least half of Detroit is abandoned.
Nissan Tech Dead or alive you're coming with… Me!
My uncle had this year SHO, and a Monte Carlo Ss. He was single and in this Era the man's car game was on point.
I've been waiting a long time for this! What a great way to start the year for retro reviews! Thanks for posting. I miss my '94 5-speed (hence the username).
I haven’t even watched the video yet and I already like it. Let me get a coffee.
As a teenager, I used to love the Taurus SHO and would have been thrilled if my parents (or me) had one. Never did. I was drawn to the SHO’s understated looks hiding all of that performance! Little did I know Ford was merely a few years ahead of its time - lots of attainable cars would have 24v DOHC V6s within a decade or so after this car debuted. Ironically, cars with these motors are much harder to find new in 2020; it seems almost everything is either a four-banger or electric now. And all but the cheapest cars and SUVS are about as fast as this SHO off the line or through the 1/4 mile.
This car was Ford’s Lotus Carlton, in spirit anyway: a normally sedate family sedan transformed into a truly quick and nimble sports car. As JD indicated, it had the performance to embarrass cars costing 2-3 times as much, yet at the end of the day the SHO was still a humble Taurus.
Still waiting for that Mercury Sable HO version though...!
Good call, be interesting to put it up against the Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth.
@Frankie Basile 145? Good lord... I won't go into how dangerous that is - it makes me sound old! - only I will say that is a very impressive speed for any car! Especially a Taurus.
"The engine is quiet"
The engine: "hhhhhrrrrrnnnNNGGGGG!"
Boy am I glad he's wrong.
In Noise and Vibration business that called "Powerful and Pleasant". That sound doesn't happen by accident.
Man I used to wait for this show on channel 28 PBS Southern California, when I was 12!
Still, to this day my favorite body style of Taurus.
I liked this one too, until the 2000 model came out. I loved the 2000's.
Had a 91 Sho from 01-06, and I drove the hell out that car!, Went from L.A. to Seattle, bout 3 times, front Seattle to Vegas 2 times!, And boy, that car was a monster!, I killed everything on the road, whenever I felt like it!, Had to change my suspension bits in the front 3 times though, from burning rubber, in the first 3 gears!, One of my favorite cars!!!
2:40 Not a huge blemish, but now that I've seen it, I can't stop noticing the thread sticking out underneath the base of the shift knob.
I just seen an older gentleman driving one like in mint condition on the hwy the other day. I was almost tempted to try an run with him in 06 g6 gtp but i was to star struck admiring it so i just rode side by side cruising with him till he got off the hwy.
0:38 MO POWAH BABEH.... wait, wrong channel
I had the 97 Taurus sho with the 3.4l Yamaha v8. it was a fun sedan. I had it in high school and naturally loved how high it reved. I sold it because I wanted a manual and bought an 87 mustang gt t top (i miss that car to this day)
6:15 You are sad there is no automatic transmission? Do you sit down to do a number one?
220 horsepower from three liters was pretty heady stuff thirty years ago.
It is less impressive today, but if I found one in good shape, I would have my checkbook out like a flash.
Go test drive a G37 sedan . I loved SHOs but my G is like one on steroids. You can get them for cheap .
How much are you looking to pay for one. I have one of the nicest ones in the country
Love the retro reviews!!!!! Keep em coming!!!!
Makes me miss the 1980's...
I bought a new ‘94 SHO automatic. I loved that car!
I knew it was a Yamaha design. I didn't know it could hit 60 in seven seconds . Very impressive for the era . Retro motorweek is the shit .
I watch all these just to hear the intro and John's review. They should've had someone shadow him thru the years wouldn't have been the same but you get that vibe
John Davis is a legend.
Remember the SVT Contour? That was impressive too behind the wheel 🏎️
I had a 98', fun cars! but man, the TQ steer on them was terrible. I kind of wish I had kept it for longer, they are hard to find in any sort of decent shape these days.
I'm in a new found love for this car. I really want one. But in my country they are impossible to find.
I also love this retro reviews. Amazing time capsule.
I had a 93 mint green mercury Sable... and that 3.0 Vulcan v6 was damned near bullet proof. That car went through a foot of snow, 2 feet of water (and It didn't leak) it finally got disposed of when the abs saved me from hitting a deer... the ABS worked.. but the brake lines exploded due to age . Replacing the brake lines and ABS sensors would have cost more than the car was worth. But it hauled the car down from 80
Legend. These things were faster than a stock 5.0 Mustang. Had a friend that used to embarrass those guys on the regular with his '89 SHO.
0:54 John: IT'S FOR HUNTING BMWS! LOL
David Aubin I loved that part I was like “Exactly!”
Not so outrageous at the time. The BMW 325 had 50 less HP than the Taurus and was more than a second slower to 60; the BMW topped out at 127 MPH and the SHO at 143. The only BMW faster than the SHO in 1989 was the M5, and that cost $50,000 and was only a half-second faster to 60.
Nice Guy Eddie Huh? You better do some research buddy lol
This car was a sleeper during its time . It out performed Mustangs on tracks but not strips . It cornered very well while fox body Mustangs handled poorly .
1989: An automatic transmission is not available. We think it should be.
2020: An manual transmission is not available. We think it should be.
I see a Mercury version was planned although it wasn't ultimately built. I wonder what it would have been called?
The blinking hazard shot from this era cracks me up every time
At my family’s scrapyard we got one of these sweethearts a few months back. Sadly we had to crush it shortly after it came in because no one buys parts off them. I wanted to save it but they were right.
Such a good looking and fast car for it’s time.
what? I would have vouched to keep it even if it took up space..
My dad had this 1st. Gen. SHO when I was in H.S. I blew away every other (high end) car at the time, with this vehicle. Acura Legends, Benzes and Bimmers alike. Not to mention getting solicited to a race by random Mustang and Camaro owners!
the first and second generation ford tuarus was the best generations before they messed it up with the 3rd and 4th gen ford tuarus.
Had an 87 turaus...loved it..i drove the piss outta it..couldent kill that plain 3.0 v6..i actually traded it in for a pontiac grand prix 1990..big mistake..makes me wish i still had the ford..best car i ever had..and i bought it used in 1998..only had 80k km on it
My 93 LX wagon was a enormous pile of garbage.. thankfully my 08 Grand Marquis and 17 f150 have been great.
Did the Sable performance variant come about? I don’t recall ever seeing one on the roads.
Motor week, please upload retro reviews every Thursday 😍😍 This is so pleasing
Drove a Taurus doing plain clothes Security at Universal Studios.. That was a really groundbreaking car back in the 80s. It was the first American car that felt like something from Europe when you drove it..
The one thing i dislike about the retro reviews. Mentions a Mercury Sable SHO in the works, when one never even came out. Getting me hyped for no reason lmao
I had a used 1990 SHO in 2000. Great fun but ultimately the engine proved too fragile. She threw a rod and I could not find an affordable repair solution. Here’s the kicker: I replaced her with a 2003 V-6 Camry and still drive it today. The Camry has very similar performance to the old SHO.
My dad got a red 89 in the early 90's. It was fun, looked nice and could really go when you wanted. However, the shifter was just not a performance deliverer. It required a deep step on the clutch and it was a long throw between gears. That got in the way of maximizing it's sporty potential.
Ive always wondered whats going on with that down hill strip they use for speed runs..How the heck are you gonna get an accurate 0-60 and 1/4mi time testing cars on a downhill?
'89 was the last year of that dash, although I think it still looks good compared to the '90+'s. It looks like that this '89 SHO had the stock Ford cassette deck..not the JBL upgrade. I think GM Delco made a better sounding stock system than Ford in this era.