Cars - Chapter seven 1989Ford Taurus SHO

The Saab lasted me about seven years, and it was time to pass it on. I sold it to my younger brother Matthew for a steal, and he drove it for quite a while. I am not sure of the final disposition, but I think it met a violent end.

But what I got nest surprised many of my friends, a Ford Taurus SHO:

From Cars

This was an unusual Taurus. It had a Yamaha Marine V6 3 liter engine that generated 220 horsepower (a lot at the time) and did 0-60 in 6.6 seconds (very fast at the time. For comparison the BMW M3 coup from 1989 had a 2.3 liter engine that generated 195 HP, and went 0-62 in 6.9 seconds)

It came with a five-speed manual transmission (only) and was a front wheel drive car. It generated so much torque that it would pull the steering wheel out of your hands in a sharp left turn if you really tried to floor it. But it was a fun car. (Partly because nobody knew how fast it really was!)

I only drove that car for about three years. I bought it when I started working at Landmark Graphics as a salesman, and kept it in storage while I was living in Caracas, but finally sold it to another Landmarker (you know who you are, John) when I moved from Caracas to Singapore.

A friend bought a similar car, and we would occasionally see each other on the freeway. Mayhem would ensue. He tapped his car out on the freeway one day in a one car accident. He was fine, though.

I enjoyed that car. Not a car to love, but certainly one to appreciate. I liked what Ford did with that car. IT kept it low-key and high performance.