Ford Taurus SHO

Ford Taurus SHO

Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Model years	1989–1999 2010–present
Class	Mid-size (1989–1999) Full-size (2010–present)
Related	Ford Taurus
Designer	Jack Telnack

The Ford Taurus SHO (Super High Output) is a full-size performance sedan based on the Ford Taurus that was originally produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1989 until 1999. It returned in 2009 for the 2010 model year.

The SHO (spoken as "ess ayche o") was built by the same team that produced the Ford Mustang SVO. It was originally created as a limited production model for 1989 through 1993. However, the car proved to be very popular and quickly sold its planned 15,519 units in its first model year, leading Ford to order more engines and begin series production. The SHO would go on to be produced for ten years in three generations, totaling 106,465 vehicles as of late 1999.

Production ended after the 1999 model year due to a decline in popularity, in which Ford decided to not produce a SHO version of the fourth generation Taurus; in 1999, just over 3,000 SHOs were sold, which was only a sixth of the SHO's sales numbers from ten years prior.

First generation (1989–1991)

First generation

Model years	1989–1991
Assembly	Hapeville, Georgia
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout
Platform	Ford D186 platform
Engine	3.0 L SHO V6
Transmission	5-speed MTX-IV manual
Wheelbase	106.0 in (2,692 mm)
Length	188.4 in (4,785 mm)
Width	70.8 in (1,798 mm)
Height	54.1 in (1,374 mm)
Curb weight	3,285 lb (1,490 kg)
Related	Ford Taurus Mercury Sable

The SHO differed from the normal Taurus on the exterior by having different bumpers, side cladding, and fog lamps. The interior also differed, with sports seats and an 8000 rpm tachometer. The SHO became the only Taurus to feature a manual transmission since the 4-cylinder MT-5 was discontinued in that year. The transmission was designed and manufactured by Mazda and had the following gear ratios with a final drive ratio of 3.74:

Taurus SHO Manual Transmission Gear Ratios

Gear	Ratio	mph per 1,000 rpm	Max Speed (@ 7000 rpm)
1st	3.21	6.2	44
2nd	2.09	9.5	67
3rd	1.38	14.5	101
4th	1.02	19.6	137
5th	0.74	26.8	143 @ 5350

The first generation Taurus SHO can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds with a quarter mile time of 15.0-15.2 seconds. Car and Driver reported in their December 1989 issue a top speed of 143 mph (230 km/h).

A special edition of the SHO called the Plus package became available in 1991. It came as part of option package #212A and contained different styling cues from the standard SHO, including a plastic 'Power Bulge' hood, chrome window trim, a plastic spoiler without the 3rd brake light, 24V DOHC badges, body colored stripe in the lower cladding, black mirrors, black B and C pillars, rod shifter upgrade, and a body color TAURUS badge. White painted pluses had the option of white painted "slicer" wheels. The 1991 slicer wheels were "Canadian" or non-directional, meaning the wheels on the right of the car would point a different direction than the ones on the left of the car.^{[citation needed]} 1991 was the only year that a "Mocha Frost" color option was offered. Also in 91 a green called "Deep Jewel Green Clearcoat Metallic" was available, but only with the plus option. In 2009, a 1989 Ford Taurus SHO was featured in the movie The Blind Side in the opening scenes.

Second generation (1992–1995)

Second generation

Model years	1992–1995
Assembly	Hapeville, Georgia
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout
Platform	Ford D186 platform
Engine	3.0 L SHO V6 3.2 L SHO V6
Transmission	4-speed AX4S automatic 5-speed MTX-IV manual
Wheelbase	106.0 in (2,692 mm)
Length	Sedan:192.0 in (4,877 mm)
Width	71.2 in (1,808 mm)
Height	Sedan: 54.1 in (1,374 mm)–55.4 in (1,407 mm)
Curb weight	3,472 lb (1,575 kg)
Related	Ford Taurus Mercury Sable

The SHO was redesigned in 1992, although it continued with the same powertrain as before: The Yamaha-developed 3.0L V6 and 5-speed manual transmission. The second generation SHO borrowed from the Mercury Sable's front fenders, but used a different bumper, fog lamps, and no middle lightbar. The SHO also got unique seats, side cladding, dual exhaust, as well as a unique rear bumper. In 1993, the rear brakes on the SHO were converted to solid discs, replacing the vented discs of almost identical dimensions that were used in the 1989–1992 model years.

The lack of an automatic transmission had hurt sales, which was a situation that Ford rectified in 1993. A 3.2 L version of the Ford SHO V6 engine was introduced for automatic-equipped SHO, which still had 220 hp (164 kW), but now boasted 215 lb·ft (292 N·m), a 15 lb·ft (20 N·m) increase over the 3.0 L version. The 1993 to 1995 automatics use the AX4S (previously named AXOD-E) transmission with these ratios:

Gear	Ratio
1st	2.771
2nd	1.543
3rd	1.000
4th	0.694
Reverse	2.263

In 1993, Ford did a minor redesign of the SHO interior, updating the center console. Other changes for 1993 included a trunklid spoiler, with integrated center high mount stop lamp, and "Italian" or directional Slicer wheels. With the addition of Italian slicers the SHO now had right and left specific wheels.

The 94-95 model years featured very subtle changes. They no longer came with chrome trim around the windows, the door handles were now painted body color, and black was no longer offered as an interior color.

By request of Car and Driver magazine, a SHO station wagon was created by the Car and Driver staff with the help of Ford engineers. They started with a production Taurus wagon, and from there installed SHO bodywork, including its unique front end. They then replaced the stock engine and drivetrain with SHO drivetrain. Inside, the interior was replicated of that of a high spec SHO sedan, including its sport seats, steering wheel, and included most of the SHO's equipment. The staff then tested it, and took it on a cross country trip. The model became nothing more than a one off special, and the Car and Driver staff as well as Ford admitted that the SHO wagon was created "just for fun", and was never meant to be a serious production vehicle.

Third generation (1996–1999)

Third generation

Model years	1996–1999
Assembly	Hapeville, Georgia
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	FF layout
Platform	Ford D186 platform
Engine	3.4 L SHO V8
Transmission	4-speed AX4N automatic
Wheelbase	108.5 in (2,756 mm)
Length	197.5 in (5,017 mm)
Width	73.0 in (1,854 mm)
Height	55.1 in (1,400 mm)
Curb weight	3,329 lb (1,510 kg)
Related	Ford Windstar Ford Taurus Mercury Sable

For 1996, the SHO was redesigned. Unlike its predecessors, this SHO was more refined and used less radical bodywork. It differed from the normal Taurus with different seats, wheels, bumpers, drivetrain, as well as a fin being put on the driver's side windshield wiper, to keep it on the windshield at high speeds. This SHO model sold in lower numbers than the previous SHO generations, with sales peaking at 9,000 units in 1997. As a result, Ford cut the SHO when redesigning the Taurus for its fourth generation. It was also the only Ford Taurus generation with a V8 engine. The 1996 and later models got the AX4N transmission, which has the same gearsets (and thus the same gear ratios) as the AX4S used in the 1993 to 1995 SHO, but had improved torque capacity and shift quality, such as 3-2 downshifts.

Engine

Main article: Ford SHO V8 engine

A 235 hp (175 kW) aluminum 3.4 L V8 engine with heads from Yamaha and block from Cosworth was specified for the SHO model, but it was given the same four speed transmission as the LX: the manual gearbox option was no longer offered on the SHO. Separation of the camshaft from its sprocket has been implicated in a growing number of engine failures, at around 50,000 miles (80,000 km). This problem can be rectified by having the camshafts welded. The number of engines with failure has been documented at about 1,200 out of about 20,000 engines. Other undocumented cases very likely exist.

Fourth generation (2010–present)

Fourth generation

Production	June 15, 2009–present
Assembly	Chicago, Illinois
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	AWD
Platform	Ford D3 platform
Engine	3.5 L Ecoboost V6
Transmission	6-speed 6F55-automatic
Wheelbase	112.9 in (2,868 mm)
Length	202.9 in (5,154 mm)
Width	76.9 in (1,953 mm)
Height	60.7 in (1,542 mm)
Curb weight	4,388 lb (1,990 kg)
Related	Ford Taurus

A month after the introduction of the sixth generation Taurus, Ford unveiled the much-awaited return of the SHO at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.

After skipping two Ford Taurus generations, the resurrected sport sedan has all-wheel drive and is largely derived from the Ford D3 platform. It features a 3.5 liter direct-injected Twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 producing 365 hp (272 kW) at 5500 rpm and 350 lb·ft (475 N·m) of torque at 1500-5250 rpm, mated to Ford's 6F55 six-speed SelectShift semi-automatic transmission with a paddle- or console-activated Manual mode.

The new SHO comes with Ford's new SR1 suspension setup with MacPherson front struts and a multi-link design in the rear. This includes SHO-specific shock absorbers, springs, stabilizer bars and strut mount bushings. An optional Performance Package offers better brake pads, recalibrated steering, a "Sport Mode" for the stability control and shorter 3.16 to 1 final drive ratio.

2013 Ford Taurus SHO

Visually, the differences from the regular Taurus are subtle. It is encompassed by a dark grey grille finish that matches the larger wheels, a decklid spoiler, dual chrome exhaust tips, new parking lamp bezels, an EcoBoost rear logo, and an SHO C-Pillar logo. A 2013 update to the Taurus line will bring a unique mesh grille for the SHO, a change to the paddle-shifting mechanism, a new performance package, and larger brakes.

Awards

The 2010 Taurus SHO was named Car of the Year by Esquire magazine.

See also

• Ford Taurus
• Sleeper (car)

References

18. [1] Blind Side verification

External links

• Official Ford Motor Company website
• Ford Vehicles website
• The SHO Shop—the first Ford Taurus SHO website
• National SHO Club
• Bring Back the SHO
• Taurus Car Club of America
• SHO Forum