Comments on: Just Like This Train: Earned, not given.

By: Sajeev Mehta

Sajeev Mehta — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:55:35 +0000

The new SHO will certainly be cool and worthy of the name, but I still get a little sad when I remember seeing that MT-5 Wagon in the junkyard several years ago.

That, and the SHO’s asking price is so crucial to its success…I hope Ford can get it down to the low 30s.

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:03:50 +0000

Even rarer than the MT-5 (how was that possible?) were the first-generation police package cars, which included a six-slot grille, beefed up brakes and suspension, and a freer-flowing exhaust. The package was available on both the first and second-generation Taurus, and proved popular on neither. A few civilian versions were ordered, though, by people who had a friendly local fleet manager willing to help out.

By: Jack Baruth

Jack Baruth — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:33:44 +0000

thesteve,

The MT-5 was awesome:

http://www.taurusclub.com/encyclopedia/Specials/MT5.html

I remember one sitting at my local dealer for almost an entire year.

By: thesteve

thesteve — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:57:54 +0000

I finally had a chance to take a moment and browse through your write-up, Matt. The first section brought me fondly back to my early H.S. years, and while it wasn’t with an SHO, the crazy things that we did with a friend’s 1986 “MT-5″ were probably 2 cylinders and a “SHO” badge away from putting us on a soft-food diet for the rest of our lives.

We had this jump/bump out on a rural county road that if taken with enough speed, (obviously, we never got it up to 88), you *could* get all four tires off the ground…..and with his suspension, on more than one occasion, we got ‘em back off the ground again on the rebound. That car was a hell of alot of fun to beat on. I can remember the day he picked it up and drove it over to my house….”Dude…you got a brown Taurus?”. All he had to do was point at the center console with a sly grin, and I knew that the days left for that car were numbered.

You see, prior to the SHO arriving to dealership floors in 1989, the Ford Taurus offered an even more obscure model, simply called the “MT-5″. If I recall correctly, it came wrapped around the 2.5L 4cyl engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission….the only Taurus, besides the SHO, to ever sport a third peddal. Beside’s a small molded-in-trim “MT-5″ on the ding rail, there was no other distiguishing exterior virtues between that brown beast and the other 43.5 mid to late 80’s Taurii rusting away in the back row of my H.S. parking lot.

By: Matt Train

Matt Train — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:30:36 +0000

Thanks for the correction, flatlander. I am not exactly a slave to getting it right.

Nice to see a V8 fan here. I identify mostly with the V6 model, through I have driven a few V8s and enjoyed them.

By: flatlander

flatlander — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:47:32 +0000

I will add my note to say that I’m a Taurus SHO fan as well. Even the V8 version. I don’t see the point of the whole “it must stay true to the original” mandate. What matters is if it will perform at the lead pack level while maintaining it’s middle of the herd stealth factor. I see the twin turbo V6 as a plus, so is the AWD. The auto is a minus, but this is a big car and reaching the 400 hp threshold at which I (and a lot of other people) say it doesn’t matter if it’s a manual or (a well laid out) auto.

With all the aprobatory stuff I said, I will end this with a little-minded nit of a pick: It’s “bated breath” (as in holding my breath) not “baited breath” (as in breath that could catch a fish)

By: thesteve

thesteve — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:44:11 +0000

Matt Train was the last straw. I’m in!

By: Chmeeee

Chmeeee — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:28:22 +0000

Nice article Matt, great to see you posting over here!

Personally, while I really like the SHO, I forsee it having a price problem, even if they are going with a low volume target. Despite the fact that its worth it based on the feature content, quality, and performance stats, you still run into the $40k Taurus problem.

Now that I’m past that, I want one. The engine sounds wonderful, and the interior is beautiful. While it would not by any means be a replacement for a sports car, I’d love to own one as a high speed cruiser. Hopefully there’ll be news of a manual, but I somehow doubt it.

By: Mad_Science

Mad_Science — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:13:25 +0000

I wonder what the volume target is/needs to be. I suspect it will be a slow-selling vehicle, but if they start with that assumption, what’s the problem? If anything, it could cast the new Taurus in a very positive light.

Though, for my hypothetical money, I’d buy a G8 GXP.

By: Meng Mao

Meng Mao — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:27:23 +0000

“This new SHO isn’t exactly a shot-by-shot remake of the original, but the current market wouldn’t respond well to a car that was perfectly faithful to the first-gen car.”
I’m not sure we’ll see any present or future market be receptive to the principles behind the original SHO. Thanks for stressing that it isn’t pronounced ’show;’ I didn’t know that.