@@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.
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 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’.
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 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.
@@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.
@@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.
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.
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.
@@Lexrolla-1 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.
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.
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.
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. 😂
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 a 1990 which was my daily driver for 16 years and 315,000 miles. When I finally sold it to a friend of mine who was an SHO enthusiast, the body was rotting but the interior was still mint and the drive train as strong as it ever was. I lived for and loved 3950 RPM, when the secondary intake runners opened and this understated Ford revved up, screamed like a Ferrari, and pulled hard right up to its 7000 RPM redline. IMHO the best car Ford ever produced.
You were short shifting it and not taking too redline because was 8000 I know because I owned3 and took each one too redline many times everyday 8000 rpm 🤣
@@justinmccutcheon1973 Ford electronically limited the Yamaha engine at 7000 RPM to avoid over-speeding the belt-driven accessories. Unless you messed with the engine control computer's programming you never went past 7K.
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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 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 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
'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.
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)
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'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 like the Taurus with the split bench seating and column shifter best. What about you? P.S: I am a fan of the 1998-1999 Generation. What’s your favorite gen?
@@42luke93 Head gaskets on the Yamaha motor were not a problem; the SHO was pretty much bullet proof if maintained properly. The head gasket problems were with the standard OHV V6; nothing great about that engine at all. The SHO transmission came from Mazda and was reliable if you did not do high-rpm clutch drops. My SHO had over 165,000 miles when I sold it and the transmission was still in excellent working order. The automatics had many problems their first few years.
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.
I bought a used SHO for 400 bucks back in 2005. It would eat 5.0L mustangs and C4 Vettes from a standstill or rolling start. They underrated the top speed too, i could bury the 140mph speedo in 4th gear then shift to 5th and still pulled like it was in 3rd. Top speed was likely closer to 160mph!
Frederic Villeneuve They weren’t racing then, lol. The SHO would walk a 5.0 after 100 mph, though. My buddy’s dad had an ‘89 SHO that pulled away after 100.
Country Boy an 88 Mustang was tested at 141MPH by R&T in the day the reason the SHO pulled away from it was simple aerodynamics. However the 5.0 LX being lighter would run with the SHO.
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!!!
In 1996 My dad walked into Mullinax Ford in Park City Utah wanting to buy a just regular spec Taurus. He was needing a normal basic family car after his beloved Pontiac Fiero blew up😂🔥. He had no idea Ford changed the body style of the Taurus to that horrible oval style earlier in the year. It was hideous. He hated it and he started walking out and heading out to go to the Toyota dealer to buy a Camry when he noticed in front of the showroom outside They still had one brand new Taurus left of the previous body style. A 1995 Forest Green SHO with EVERY option. The dealer gave my dad a sweet deal because no one else was buying it (about the same cost as a basic 96 Taurus). My dad loved that car more than anything and babied it like no other.....he would even let off the accelerator at precise RPMs so the trans didn’t work too hard to shift -“letting the trans drop” as he called it 😂 and he NEVER took it above 70mph. He even washed it multiple times per week. 2 years later I got my license and got to drive it on rare occasions. I hit 140mph while bumping DMX and 2pac on the JBL stereo on an old back highway which was very rural at the time 🤦🏻♂️. This was before the town blew up after the 2002 olympics, and I was young and dumb. I remember thinking how my dad would kill me if he knew what I had done. It was one of the only secrets I hid from my Dad and still feel guilty about it till this day 😂. Later in life he became more and more successful in business and had some amazing cars... But this SHO was always his favorite and he still talks about it 25 years later. This car is special to me too because my Dad was willing to give up his fun sporty Fiero for a boring Taurus or Camry family vehicle- he was willing to sacrifice for the family. but actually he ended up not needing to sacrifice and got rewarded with both practicality and sporty in one with this SHO. But his unselfishness made a big impression on me. Great Dad- Great Car. Cheers to everyone else who appreciates this special car. 👍
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.
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.
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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
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 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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
I love those flat ass suitcases they always use. So nostalgic.
I bought the intake manifold from a junked car the other day. It's gonna become wall art. Beautiful runners.
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.
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
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 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."
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
@@brad3378 lol
@stylac Hey, have some respect
USUALLY is the other way around... 🤔
2:30 that Yamaha head generated some legit high rpm sounds!
The slalom shows almost no lean, well done!
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
@@Lexrolla-1 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.
“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??
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.
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 love the first generation Taurus... really want to get my hands on one
"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.
These things were a ton of fun to drive. Wish I still had mine.
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
Gotta love retro reviews.
They are entertaining and it shows us how far we've come.
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. 😂
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.
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
@@user-lj9ni4so1d I bought an 91 Integra which was later traded in for a 93 Eagle Talon TSi AWD.
I remember watching this episode when I was 9 years old.
I love these retro reviews
That thing has one of the best looking intake manifolds ever. Made by Yamaha, it sounds like a jetski.
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.
Makes me miss the 1980's...
when he opens the hood your eyes have to re focus a bit on the intake, what a gem. drove one once.
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
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.
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!
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.
I always love these retro reviews!!!
0:38 MO POWAH BABEH.... wait, wrong channel
Man, i miss my SHO. I would love a 91 white + SHO with White slicers and black leather 🤤
Love the retro reviews!!!!! Keep em coming!!!!
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.
watching the SHO go through the slalom dead flat never ever ever gets old. it's like magic.
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).
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.
I've been binge watching MotorWeek in awe with all these rides
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 a 1990 which was my daily driver for 16 years and 315,000 miles. When I finally sold it to a friend of mine who was an SHO enthusiast, the body was rotting but the interior was still mint and the drive train as strong as it ever was. I lived for and loved 3950 RPM, when the secondary intake runners opened and this understated Ford revved up, screamed like a Ferrari, and pulled hard right up to its 7000 RPM redline. IMHO the best car Ford ever produced.
You were short shifting it and not taking too redline because was 8000 I know because I owned3 and took each one too redline many times everyday 8000 rpm 🤣
@@justinmccutcheon1973 Ford electronically limited the Yamaha engine at 7000 RPM to avoid over-speeding the belt-driven accessories. Unless you messed with the engine control computer's programming you never went past 7K.
Love these more retro reviews
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.
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 .
These are such great videos!
Great cars from the past. Test drove one back in 1990. Very fast!
Motor week, please upload retro reviews every Thursday 😍😍 This is so pleasing
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
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 bought a new ‘94 SHO automatic. I loved that car!
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.
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.
My God what a beautiful car of that beautiful era
Now bulk have rusted away
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.
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 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 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 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
Man I used to wait for this show on channel 28 PBS Southern California, when I was 12!
One of the most slept on car til this day.
I just bought one. I’m so excited to learn stick!!!
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
John Davis is a legend.
'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.
Wow, that car is very well sorted out. Especially for the time.
Such a cool unique car
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)
Love watching a good SHO.
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.
Love the ending.
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.
The blinking hazard shot from this era cracks me up every time
I miss my 2010 SHO.
One of the best engines ever made period.
waltervila33
Too bad taurus I heard had weak transmissions and head gaskets.
I like the Taurus with the split bench seating and column shifter best. What about you?
P.S: I am a fan of the 1998-1999 Generation. What’s your favorite gen?
42luke roblox first gen such as this one
@@42luke93 Head gaskets on the Yamaha motor were not a problem; the SHO was pretty much bullet proof if maintained properly. The head gasket problems were with the standard OHV V6; nothing great about that engine at all. The SHO transmission came from Mazda and was reliable if you did not do high-rpm clutch drops. My SHO had over 165,000 miles when I sold it and the transmission was still in excellent working order. The automatics had many problems their first few years.
@@paulhudson231 do you recommend buying one? 40k original miles
One of the nicest looking engines ever made.
The engine sounds really cool
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!
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.
I remember Ford telling people that from 100 on up it would walk away from the Mustang. On a side note that engine belongs in a glass table top.
It's cool looking
Country Boy That’s the novelty of multivalve, OHC engines. The pushrod 5.0, with it’s low-end torque walked it through the 1/4, where it matters most.
I bought a used SHO for 400 bucks back in 2005. It would eat 5.0L mustangs and C4 Vettes from a standstill or rolling start. They underrated the top speed too, i could bury the 140mph speedo in 4th gear then shift to 5th and still pulled like it was in 3rd. Top speed was likely closer to 160mph!
Frederic Villeneuve They weren’t racing then, lol. The SHO would walk a 5.0 after 100 mph, though. My buddy’s dad had an ‘89 SHO that pulled away after 100.
Country Boy an 88 Mustang was tested at 141MPH by R&T in the day the reason the SHO pulled away from it was simple aerodynamics. However the 5.0 LX being lighter would run with the SHO.
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!!!
Loved my 91. 16 wheels+antilock brakes.
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 .
In 1996 My dad walked into Mullinax Ford in Park City Utah wanting to buy a just regular spec Taurus. He was needing a normal basic family car after his beloved Pontiac Fiero blew up😂🔥. He had no idea Ford changed the body style of the Taurus to that horrible oval style earlier in the year. It was hideous. He hated it and he started walking out and heading out to go to the Toyota dealer to buy a Camry when he noticed in front of the showroom outside They still had one brand new Taurus left of the previous body style. A 1995 Forest Green SHO with EVERY option. The dealer gave my dad a sweet deal because no one else was buying it (about the same cost as a basic 96 Taurus). My dad loved that car more than anything and babied it like no other.....he would even let off the accelerator at precise RPMs so the trans didn’t work too hard to shift -“letting the trans drop” as he called it 😂 and he NEVER took it above 70mph. He even washed it multiple times per week.
2 years later I got my license and got to drive it on rare occasions. I hit 140mph while bumping DMX and 2pac on the JBL stereo on an old back highway which was very rural at the time 🤦🏻♂️. This was before the town blew up after the 2002 olympics, and I was young and dumb. I remember thinking how my dad would kill me if he knew what I had done. It was one of the only secrets I hid from my Dad and still feel guilty about it till this day 😂. Later in life he became more and more successful in business and had some amazing cars... But this SHO was always his favorite and he still talks about it 25 years later. This car is special to me too because my Dad was willing to give up his fun sporty Fiero for a boring Taurus or Camry family vehicle- he was willing to sacrifice for the family. but actually he ended up not needing to sacrifice and got rewarded with both practicality and sporty in one with this SHO. But his unselfishness made a big impression on me.
Great Dad- Great Car.
Cheers to everyone else who appreciates this special car. 👍
Motorweek's most important car attributes: clear and complete analog gauges and a low liftover height trunk...
Joe Dunkle and a well positioned radio....
That Yamaha motor was originally built for a mid engine sports car that ford bailed on.
A friend had one of these. It sounded great and was fast (for the day).
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.
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