Tuesday, November 14, 2006

SHO article at AutoBlog got me thinking

I know this piece is over two weeks old, but I'm slow to blog lately. AutoBlog did a piece on the Ford Taurus SHO and I enjoyed it and the comments. I owned a 93 Taurus SHOmatic for a year or so, a winter beater I bought for shits and giggles . But there was more of a surprise for me....
We all know Jay Leno is a "Car guy" but who knew that
Conan O'Brien, the human cartoon is too? Don't get me wrong I like O'Brien, think he's funny as hell. But I always thought of him as a city dweller and assumed that he didn't even own a car. But AutoBlog even has a video posted of O'Brien behind the wheel of his SHO.
In the comments after their post there is one guy who likens the engine to a work of art. I would be inclined to agree with him, but Milt my mechanic wasn't as fond of this engine. Changing spark plugs or sensors was a major pain for him. I wouldn't have even tried to work on it myself, just too much with too little room. But did it sing! This car made all the right noises and despite mine being a used beater with 120,000 miles on the clock, it was a blast to drive.
Like Conan, mine was green, unlike his mine didn't have the manual transmission. Now I know slushboxes aren't supposed to be in sports sedans, but this is what was available at the time. And although I know the transmissions can be problematic, according to my friend who bought his new and had to replace it several times. Mine never gave me a moments trouble. The transmission didn't, but there was the fire under the hood caused by a bad anti-lock brake module and a few electrical gremlins. But still this car was a hoot. Fun to drive, comfortable and even with a heavy pedal foot not too bad on gas.

If there are any guys out there looking for a unique fun to drive American car, go get one. Get it quick though before this is the only way you can find one!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile in Europe... Ford S Max was chosen car of the year !

Martini said...

My dad gave me his '94 SHO, to use as a winter beater as well. I don't know if our Taurus fits the definition of "winter beater", because there's nothing wrong with it..... unless you consider the 205,000 miles on it. I can't think of a single day where my dad had trouble with the car. Still got its original timing belt too.
What a fantastic car eh?