Posted on Thursday 8 May 2008
Fast factory versions of frumpy family sedans are nothing new - they’ve been around almost as long as the industry has - but few really capture the mind of the auto enthusiast like the Ford Taurus SHO did. Perhaps because it was one of the few American takes on the concept at the time, or perhaps because it was simply a quick and fun sedan, the SHO’s fans are still clamoring for a revival. One group of fans has made a set of images showing what they hope will be the next SHO.
Based on the concept photo leaked onto the web in April, the new renders show what could be a sportier take on the upcoming 2010 Taurus, to be released in late 2009. Ford hasn’t yet announced any plans for a SHO variant, but considering the failed attempt to replace the Taurus nameplate with the 500, and the subsequent fan fury that caused the return of the Taurus, anything is possible.
The renders were done by members of ‘Bring Back the SHO‘, a website dedicated to persuading Ford to do just that. Working from the blurry photo of the concept, the site’s graphic designers managed to draw up a concept SHO that looks quite convincing. Since the car is just a wishful guess at what might be, no tech specs are yet worth mentioning, though if Ford does decide to go with a new SHO, it would almost certainly benefit from the company’s EcoBoost turbo-charged engines, most likely in a moderately-sized V6.
Ford’s legendary Taurus SHO - SHO stands for Super High Output - was initially centered around a stock of Yamaha-designed 3.0L V6 engines intended for a sporty two-seater that was killed off before it reached production. Since Ford still had the engines, it decided to use them for the SHO, its hottest version of what was, at the time, the world’s best-selling car. Starting in 1989, production ran for three generations over a decade, ending in 1999. By the end the car was almost unrecognizable, however.
The first two generations excelled with manual transmissions and high-output (for the time) V6s. For the third model, built from 1996-1999, a V8 making about the same power as the V6 it replaced was specified, but the manual transmission was removed as an option. Declining popularity and sales that never passed 9,000 units per year meant this was the last generation of the SHO.
Via: Jalopnik
so basically we’re talking about an XR5 mondeo, but with a nice 3.5L V6 and AWD maybe? that would be hardly enough to sell the car as a faster option to the 3.5L thats available in the camry.
better go with the 400 hp ecoboosted 3.5L with a 6 speed manual or paddle shift auto. full time (rear favoured) AWD is a must. should sell for 40k easily.
basically a ford version of the MKS,… cept less boring.
hey heres a good question.. the 2010 taurus is going to be the mondeo, which is the same car as the 6, which is how ford got the fusion. so the taurus (mondeo) is a midsized car (like taurus of the past was)… but they want to replace the current taurus with the mondeo? the taurus now is a full sized sedan. what gives? are we going to have the fusion (aka last gen mondeo) selling as a “cheap” mid size and the current mondeo (taurus) selling as the “nice” mid/full size?
what the heck has ford stuffed in their crack pipe this time? why not make the 2009 (read new) fusion the mondeo (with mash-up styling like the current focus) and then just reskin the “taurus” (volvo S80) like their doing with the MKS: to be more exciting (instead of “handsome” aka ugly like the S80)
I agree, the Taurus needs to remain a larger car.
Looks good, though.
yeah,.. at this point in time, the “taurus” is now a large car. the fusion is now ford’s midsize. you’ll just confuse people even more if you switch THOSE two names around… just for historical accuracy.
the point here is that the mondeo has been a constant. It’s always been a mid sized car. taurus used to be a mid sized car, and then got bumped up to a full sized sedan…. when ford brought the mondeo here and called it the contour. now fords going to use the mondeo as a “taurus” and sell it as a “large serdan”?
which leads into the next question.. are they skinning our current taurus to look like the mondeo… or was that ACTUALLY the mondeo we saw about a month ago now?
no wonder mullaly wants to simplify stuff. my head’s spinning just thinking of it
There should be three cars:
Focus (Euro)
Fusion (Mondeo)
Taurus (500)
That’s it, done, finished. There is no more Crown Victoria, and people want to have a big car to choose from. Keep it simple, but offer tons of options so people can buy a ridiculuously cheap version or one that has every option known to man in the same vehicle. This is what Ford is good at. Get to it.