SHO ‘Nuff: A Visual History of Ford’s Iconic Taurus SHO Supersedan

{"meta_title":"A Brief Visual History of Ford's Iconic Taurus SHO Supersedan \u2013 feature \u2013 Car and Driver","meta_description":"The Ford Taurus SHO is sleeper with a backstory. Learn more and see photos of every SHO at Car and Driver","meta_keywords":"Ford Taurus SHO, Super High Output, SHO, sports sedan, Yamaha V-6, aluminum heads, V-8, all-wheel-drive, 1989, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2010, history, photos","news_keywords":"Ford Taurus SHO, Super High Output, SHO, sports sedan, Yamaha V-6, aluminum heads, V-8, all-wheel-drive, features, details specs, cars, car news","related":[{"link":"http:\/\/http://ift.tt/1uY610D","img":"http:\/\/media.caranddriver.com\/images\/12q3\/474199\/2013-ford-taurus-sho-photo-474200-s-520x318.jpg","title":"Latest Ford Taurus SHO Tested, Has Little Regard for Sir Isaac Newton"},{"link":"http:\/\/http://ift.tt/1yYgdVZ","img":"http:\/\/buyersguide.caranddriver.com\/media\/assets\/submodel\/6456.jpg","title":"Ford Taurus SHO Coverage: History, Reviews, Comparisons, Pricing, Specs, and More"},{"link":"http:\/\/http://ift.tt/1uY62BK","img":"http:\/\/media.caranddriver.com\/images\/media\/267321\/1989-ford-taurus-sho-road-test-review-car-and-driver-photo-567757-s-429x262.jpg","title":"1989 Ford Taurus SHO Original Test: The Fastest Sedan You Could Get for Under $50K"}],"slides":[{"id":170885,"title":"","body":"Born in an era when domestic front-wheel-drive family sedans were considered the antidote to fun, the Ford Taurus SHO was an odds-defying proposition from the start. Packing a five-speed manual and a Yamaha-engineered V-6 with glorious pipe-organ intake plumbing, the front-drive Taurus SHO answered a question that very few people had asked. But, boy, are we glad it happened. What follows is a brief history that serves as an explanation of why the nameplate means so much to so many.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Tom Drew, Jeffrey G. Russell, and Getty Images","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SHOplacement.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SHOplacement-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/SHOplacement-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170383,"title":"Without Ford's Mustang SVO team, the SHO doesn't happen.","body":"The plan for the Taurus SHO was hatched by a group of Ford engineers from the Mustang SVO team. Still basking in the success from of that pony car, they went hunting for a four-door sedan to sink their slide rules into and came back with the Taurus. The first SHO hit the streets in the 1989 model year and immediately put pricier sports sedans on notice. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-Ford-Taurus-SHO.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-Ford-Taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-Ford-Taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170351,"title":"The Yamaha-designed engine is textbook engine porn. ","body":"Ford wisely decided against concealing the fact that the SHO's 3.0-liter V-6 was designed and built by Yamaha, instead using it as a marketing tool. Nominally based\u2014and we mean nominally\u2014on the standard Taurus's 3.0-liter unit, the two engines share the same 60-degree cylinder-bank angle, 89.0-mm bore, 80.0-mm stroke, and little else. Although standard fare today, the SHO\u2019s dual overhead-cam aluminum cylinder heads and exposed, medusa-like intake runners were exotic and sexy stuff a quarter-century ago.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Tom Drew","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-30-liter-v-6-engine-photo-568183-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-30-liter-v-6-engine-photo-568183-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-30-liter-v-6-engine-photo-568183-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170352,"title":"There\u2019s success in numbers. ","body":"Originally slated for one or two years of production, the SHO was an instant hit, selling more than 15,000 copies. Ford realized a good thing when it saw it, and created plans to keep the SHO around for a while. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Tom Drew","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/3.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568179-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/3.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568179-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/3.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568179-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170360,"title":"It was 1989, OK?","body":"When the Taurus SHO debuted for the 1989 model year, it was only available with a Mazda-supplied five-speed manual transmission. Those without the skills or desire to shift for themselves were out of luck. A bespoke steering wheel, sport seats, and a 140-mph speedometer were SHO exclusives.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Tom Drew","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-ford-taurus-sho-interior-photo-568181-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-ford-taurus-sho-interior-photo-568181-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-ford-taurus-sho-interior-photo-568181-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170354,"title":"Super. High. Output.","body":"When the car debuted, SHO was simply an acronym for \u201cSuper High Output\u201d and ostensibly spoken as \"Ess-Aitch-Oh.\" Owners and the media, however, had different ideas and started referring to it as the Taurus \u201cshow\u201d right out of the box. It wasn\u2019t until the 2010 model arrived that Ford officially got onboard with the vernacular. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Tom Drew","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/5.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568180-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/5.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568180-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/5.-1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568180-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170437,"title":"The V-6 could have really wailed.","body":"Producing 220 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of twist, the engine could reportedly rev to 8500 rpm, but was limited to a redline of 7300 to protect the accessory drives from self-destruction. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Tom Drew","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568177-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568177-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1989-ford-taurus-sho-photo-568177-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170355,"title":"\"SHO Plus\" was a thing.","body":"According to the SHO club (pictured here at their 19th annual convention in 2010) and confirmed by Ford dealer literature, an option package known as \u201c212A\u201d became available in the middle of the 1991 model year. Purely cosmetic, the package included a plastic power bulge hood, a plastic trunk spoiler, metal \u201c24V DOHC\u201d fender badges, body-color cladding and trunk-mounted \u201cTaurus\u201d badge, and blacked-out outside mirrors and B-and C-pillars. Models with this option are referred to among SHO devotees as \u201cSHO Plus\u201d cars.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/7-10SHOcon_groupe_HR.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/7-10SHOcon_groupe_HR-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/7-10SHOcon_groupe_HR-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170490,"title":"Why screw up a good thing? ","body":"When the redone Taurus arrived for the 1992 model year, the SHO\u2019s powertrain remained unchanged. The exterior got the same streamlining as the rest of the Taurus lineup, and the trend of giving the SHO unique front and rear fascias continued. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Dick Kelley ","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1992-Ford-Taurus-SHO1.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1992-Ford-Taurus-SHO1-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1992-Ford-Taurus-SHO1-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170362,"title":"Automatic for the people, and a few addtional cubic inches for good measure. ","body":"In an effort to lure more buyers, Ford offered an automatic in the SHO for the first time in 1993. Mated to a 3.2-liter version of the 3.0-liter engine that was still teamed with the manual, the 3.2 was rated at the same 220 horsepower but produced an additional 15 lb-ft of torque. Rumor persists that Ford put a less aggressive cam in the 3.2-liter motor to keep horsepower on par with that of the 3.0-liter unit in the automatic car. C\/D testing returned a 7.6-second 0-to-60 time and a 15.7-second quarter mile in a 1993 SHO equipped with the automatic transmission. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/10SHOcon_KGT_9137e_HR.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/10SHOcon_KGT_9137e_HR-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/10SHOcon_KGT_9137e_HR-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170468,"title":"They built a 1993 SHO wagon.","body":"Well, \u201cthey\u201d didn't so much as we did. With an assist from Ford engineers, the Car and Driver staff created a one-off SHO wagon in 1993. Fueled by equal parts arrogance, optimism, and libations, the staff dropped a V-6 automatic transmission powertrain from a SHO sedan into a 1993 Taurus station wagon along with the interior bits, some exterior tweaks, and a few structural reinforcements. The finished product somehow shaved four-tenths off the 0-to-60 time we recorded with a SHO sedan with the same powertrain. Our own John Phillips said, \"we can\u2019t explain it either.\u201d","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Dick Kelley","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/TaurusFinished6.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/TaurusFinished6-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/TaurusFinished6-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170382,"title":"Conan O'Brien was a SHO devotee.","body":"Talk-show host Conan O\u2019Brien used his 1992 Taurus SHO to great comedic effect in a long-running series of sketches, including an appearance on 60 Minutes. Leno may have more cars, but O\u2019Brien knows a good straight, uh, car, when he sees one. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Conan-1992-Ford-Taurus-SHO.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Conan-1992-Ford-Taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Conan-1992-Ford-Taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170392,"title":"Bring in the bean.","body":"For the 1996 Taurus redesign, Ford went full ovoid, the car assuming the shape of an androgynous navy bean. A clean-sheet design, the mechanicals shared little with the previous generations. As for the SHO, the stick shift was gone and a 235-hp 3.4-liter V-6 and a four-speed automatic were installed. MSRP of the 1996 SHO we tested for our July 1996 issue was $26,480.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-Taurus-SHO.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-Taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-Taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170482,"title":"The 3.4-liter V-8 engine in the third-gen SHO was an international effort.","body":"When the decision was made to switch the third-gen Taurus SHO over to a V-8, Ford wanted to have a bigger role in the engine\u2019s development but wished to keep Yamaha in the loop. To keep things copacetic, a convoluted plan was followed: First, the blocks were cast in Windsor, Canada, using a patented Cosworth process, and then sent to Japan for Yamaha for assembly before being shipped to the States for installation. Design-wise, Ford was responsible for everything below the headgaskets, and Yamaha handled the cylinder heads and related components. Still, the magic was missing.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Aaron Kiley","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-taurus-SHO.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-taurus-SHO-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170483,"title":"The SHO went MIA at the end of the 1999 model year.","body":"According to Ford\u2019s sales numbers, only 3368 SHOs were sold in the 1999 model year. In a C\/D comparo involving the third-gen SHO, we noted that the interior was subpar for the class and riddled with rattles and squeaks, and that the V-8 surprisingly soft on low-end torque. Ford would mothball the Taurus SHO nameplate for a decade after 1999 production ended. ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Aaron Kiley","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-Taurus-SHO-2.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-Taurus-SHO-2-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/1996-Ford-Taurus-SHO-2-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170356,"title":"The triumphant return included standard all-wheel-drive.","body":"Ford took the bull by the horns again in 2010, reviving the SHO name for the all-new bigger and beefier Taurus. For the first time in SHO history, Yamaha was left out of the engine-design process, the Blue Oval going it alone with a twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6. Rated at 365 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of twist, it produced nearly twice the power of the original. Shifts were handled by a six-speed automatic transmission that funneled its output to all four wheels via a standard Haldex all-wheel-drive system. In C\/D testing, the resurrected SHO posted a 5.2-second 0-60 run and 13.7-second quarter-mile, crossing the traps at 103 mph.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Jeffrey G. Russell","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/15-2010-ford-taurus-sho-and-previous-generation-ford-taurus-shos-photo-283127-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/15-2010-ford-taurus-sho-and-previous-generation-ford-taurus-shos-photo-283127-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/15-2010-ford-taurus-sho-and-previous-generation-ford-taurus-shos-photo-283127-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170357,"title":"Bring your checkbook.","body":"The cost of going SHO for 2010 was $37,995, with our test example wearing an as-tested sticker of $42,280.","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"Jeffrey G. Russell","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/16-2010-ford-taurus-sho-turbocharged-and-direct-injected-35-liter-ecoboost-v-6-engine-photo-283128-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/16-2010-ford-taurus-sho-turbocharged-and-direct-injected-35-liter-ecoboost-v-6-engine-photo-283128-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/16-2010-ford-taurus-sho-turbocharged-and-direct-injected-35-liter-ecoboost-v-6-engine-photo-283128-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"},{"id":170358,"title":"Torque steer is not a breed of cattle.","body":"For 2013, Ford addressed the SHO\u2019s brakes, installing a larger master cylinder, revised booster, and performance pads with 67 percent more swept front rotor area, which shaved six feet (168 versus 174) from the stopping distance we measured on the \u201910 SHO. More important, the changes mitigated the heavy brake fade we'd experienced in several examples of Ford's big boy (and its Lincoln MKC relative). Despite the presence of brake-based torque-vectoring, the AWD system, and a recalibrated power-steering setup, we did note that \u201ctorque steer is still evident under hard acceleration, the wheel pulling to the right like Dennis Miller during a trouser fitting.\u201d ","mimetype":"image\/jpeg","photographer":"","illustrator":"","make_id":"35","model_id":"197","submodel_id":"5266","images":{"original_src":"http:\/\/blog-admin.cddev.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/17-2013-ford-taurus-sho-wheel-photo-474206-s-original.jpg","large":["http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/17-2013-ford-taurus-sho-wheel-photo-474206-s-original-876x535.jpg",876,535,true]},"src":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/17-2013-ford-taurus-sho-wheel-photo-474206-s-original-876x535.jpg","make_name":"Ford","model_name":"Taurus","submodel_name":"Ford Taurus SHO","year":"2013","submodel_alias":"2013 Ford Taurus SHO"}]}



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