1993 Ford Taurus SHO

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SHO showcased a Yamaha-produced high-output V6
Taurus SHO was high-performance family sedan
Taurus SHO was high-performance family sedan

At a recent Daily News @ ClassicCars.com editorial staff meeting, we got talking about cars that were hot when they were new that somehow seem to have disappeared from consciousness. The first example we discussed was the Ford Taurus SHO.

Which got me to wondering whatever happened to the SHOs and were there any advertised for sale on ClassicCars.com. So I searched and found exactly one — this 1993 Ford Taurus SHO being offered by a classic car dealership in Coral Springs, Florida.

SHO showcased a Yamaha-produced high-output V6
SHO showcased a Yamaha-produced high-output V6

Ford drew a lot of attention midway into the 1986 model year when it launched the Taurus, which not only had front-wheel drive, but no real grille, and looked more like an Audi than a made-in-Detroit vehicle. There also was a station wagon model. Propulsion was provided by either an 88-horsepower four-cylinder or a 140-hp V6. Motor Trend immediately made Taurus its car of the year.

Ford had spent $3 billion on the car’s design, engineering and development, and consumers loved the car despite its uninspiring performance potential.

But Taurus performance surpassed sales for 1989 when Ford rolled out the Taurus SHO, or “show” as it became known more commonly. SHO was short for Super High Output. The engine was still a V6, but this one was a dual overhead-cam setup engineered by Yamaha and was linked to a Mazda-developed five-speed manual gearbox.

The engine, originally developed for use in a new Ford sports car (until that project was killed), displaced only 3.0-liters, but it pumped out 220 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque.

The car remained front-wheel driven, but it had disc brakes at all four corners, upgraded suspension, dual exhaust and rode on aluminum wheels wearing high-performance tires. The SHO also got some bodywork modifications and a revised interior with analog gauges, sport seats and other changes.

SHO featured leather sport seats
SHO features leather sport seats

Now, you could have a nice family sedan that was fun to drive and capable of sprinting to 60 miles per hour in just a tick over 6.5 seconds.

The Taurus SHO being advertised on ClassicCars.com for $11,995 “looks like it rolled right off the assembly line and directly into our showroom,” the advertisement says. “So clean that even the term immaculate would be selling this baby short.

“Produced by the same team that brought us the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, it was originally created as a limited production model for 1989. However the SHO proved to be very popular, leading Ford to begin series production.

“With 69,000 miles, this 1993 Ford Taurus SHO has been spoiled its entire life.

“The paint and body are in amazing condition. The leather interior barely has a crease on either front seat, and it looks like nothing has ever even touched the back seat.”

The car being offered has an automatic transmission, but the seller promises “this gorgeous little sleeper will surprise everyone you fly past!”

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

1 COMMENT

  1. Great car! I’ve got a 95 with 110,000 miles in great condition inside and out you can get at half that price!

  2. Had a 97 with the Yamaha V8. Loved the car. Son got good use out of it for about another 5 years then it was traded during the “Cash for Clunkers” program. Wish I still had it. FUN car to drive yet very comfortable with great amenities.