2010 Ford Taurus SHO
There's a small group of enthusiasts who worship a car you just wouldn't expect: the original Ford Taurus SHO. And I'm one of them. After years of searching for an example in good shape, I bought my very first vintage SHO, a 1991 Ford Taurus SHO Plus model (we'll explain what the "Plus" means later) earlier this year. At the same time, somewhere in a secluded Dearborn bunker, Ford was planning to announce that the SHO name would return with the redesigned 2010 Taurus. Clearly, 2009 was shaping up as a big year for SHO fans – especially me
SHO stands for Super High Output, and the original model's 3.0-liter V6 truly gave those words meaning. There's lots of speculation about how this motor came to be, but the prevailing theory is that Ford contracted Yamaha to design and build a motor for a mid-engine sports car meant to compete with the Pontiac Fiero. That project was canceled, but Ford was on the hook for these engines and needed somewhere to stuff them. We can only guess what strong narcotics were consumed that night when a Taurus engine bay became the answer, but that's how the SHO was (supposedly) born.
Arriving on the scene in 1989, the original SHO's engine was way ahead of its time, producing 220 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm when other V6-powered sedans from Toyota, Honda and Nissan were still years away from breaking the 200-hp barrier. While the engine could naturally rev to a lofty 8,500 rpm redline, Ford engineers cut the fun off at just 7,000 rpm to save any Taurus-spec parts like the A/C compressor, power steering pump and alternator from being spun to an early grave.
SHO stands for Super High Output, and the original model's 3.0-liter V6 truly gave those words meaning. There's lots of speculation about how this motor came to be, but the prevailing theory is that Ford contracted Yamaha to design and build a motor for a mid-engine sports car meant to compete with the Pontiac Fiero. That project was canceled, but Ford was on the hook for these engines and needed somewhere to stuff them. We can only guess what strong narcotics were consumed that night when a Taurus engine bay became the answer, but that's how the SHO was (supposedly) born.
Arriving on the scene in 1989, the original SHO's engine was way ahead of its time, producing 220 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm when other V6-powered sedans from Toyota, Honda and Nissan were still years away from breaking the 200-hp barrier. While the engine could naturally rev to a lofty 8,500 rpm redline, Ford engineers cut the fun off at just 7,000 rpm to save any Taurus-spec parts like the A/C compressor, power steering pump and alternator from being spun to an early grave.
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