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Guilty Pleasure: 1986 Ford Taurus

Murilee Martin

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Once pushed an Opel Manta 50 miles using a '63 Impala wagon with tires tied to the front bumper More

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1 1,052 views Jan 25, 2012

1986 Ford Taurus

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The passenger pigeon was once one of the most common birds in North America, but the last one died in 1914.

The first-generation Ford Taurus might be our automotive passenger pigeon; oh, sure, everyone recognizes the first Taurus as an important car, but has anyone thought to preserve any super-original examples?

The last time I counted Tauruses in the Ford section of a big, high-turnover junkyard, I found that 118 out of the 300 Fords were Tauruses (or Sables).

So, while there will always be Taurus SHOs getting restored and driven with pride, the humble first-year Taurus is being crushed in numbers matched only by those of the Chrysler LH series. By the time we realize that we no longer see clapped-out '86 Tauruses clanking down the street on three space-saver spares, it will be too late!

So, I may have to start searching for one of the few elusive low-mile/original-owner Tauruses that remain (preferably in the very 80s refrigerator-white paint) and stash it away. Nobody will understand, but that's the way Guilty Pleasures work!