SHO stands for Super High Output, and the original model's 3.0-liter V6 truly gave those words meaning. There's lots of speculation about how this motor came to be, but the prevailing theory is that Ford contracted Yamaha to design and build a motor for a mid-engine sports car meant to compete with the Pontiac Fiero. That project was canceled, but Ford was on the hook for these engines and needed somewhere to stuff them. We can only guess what strong narcotics were consumed that night when a Taurus engine bay became the answer, but that's how the SHO was (supposedly) born.
Arriving on the scene in 1989, the original SHO's engine was way ahead of its time, producing 220 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm when other V6-powered sedans from Toyota, Honda and Nissan were still years away from breaking the 200-hp barrier. While the engine could naturally rev to a lofty 8,500 rpm redline, Ford engineers cut the fun off at just 7,000 rpm to save any Taurus-spec parts like the A/C compressor, power steering pump and alternator from being spun to an early grave.
The top of the SHO engine, however, is its calling card. Those long and short intake runners that weave together like a pair of hands praying are not just industrial art; they give the original SHO a dual personality. Below 3,500 rpm, the longer runners lift the torque curve for comfortable around town cruising. Above 3,500 rpm, the short runners transform SHO v1.0 into a she-devil that howls up to redline with a demonic frequency. An engine this great needs a good operator, and back in 1989, computer-controlled automatics couldn't be trusted. So the last ingredient was a five-speed manual transmission borrowed from Mazda that put Yamaha's gem of an engine in the palm of your hand.
Ford is hoping that history repeats itself with the 2010 Taurus SHO, that some of the original car's lightning can be felt in the new car's bottle. On paper it would seem the new SHO is a natural extension of the original. For one thing, it starts with a big honkin' sedan that you wouldn't normally peg as "sporty", in this case the redesigned 2010 Taurus. Finally free of the Five-Hundred's dowdy silhouette, the new Taurus looks, dare we say, spectacular. The front end features sophisticated shapes imported from Ford of Europe, the hood now bulges and steps down to a pair of tastefully flared front fenders, the character line along the side vanishes and reappears on the rear fenders with a wink, and those 427 concept-inspired blocky taillights remind us of a time when Ford design actually had a little chutzpah. Tie it all together and the adjective you taste on your tongue is "interesting".
Just like the original, however, you have to look closely for any SHO-specific design cues. The things you have a shot at noticing are a spoiler on the trunk lid that's unique to the SHO, dual tailpipes split to either side of the rear apron, a "SHO EcoBoost" badge on the rear and small SHO badge in the armpit of the C-pillar. Then there are those giant 20-inch wheels that make my car's 16-inchers look like the blades on a Magic Bullet. I think I speak for all SHO fans when I say we're disappointed that Ford won't be offering a wheel design inspired by the original's iconic "slicer" design. Those wheels, which first appeared on a limited number of 1991 models, mine included, became ubiquitous on second-gen SHOs from 1992-1995. You see one now, you know it's attached to a SHO. Updating the original slicer design would've been a piece of low-hanging fruit for Ford to pick, but the designers skipped it in favor a five-spoke wheel that just isn't SHO-y enough.
I'm big enough to admit, however, that my SHO's interior doesn't hold a candle to the new car's cockpit. Back in 1991, state-of-the-art was an in-dash CD player. Today, it's SYNC, Bluetooth Audio, a 12-speaker Sony stereo, satellite radio, push button start, heated and cooled front seats with Active Motion butt massagers and multi-color ambient lighting, all of which the new SHO's got. Both passenger and driver get their own hooded parts of the dash, which is bisected by a sloping center console that brings the intelligently laid out HVAC and stereo controls out to you. There's even another rare appearance of the SHO logo on the right side of the dash.
The seats are a model of comfort, though their grippy, suede-like covering will hold your shirt like velcro in a turn while the barely there bolstering lets your body slide right off the seat back. This is a big car with a big interior, so four people of even above average proportions will be comfy cozy. We did dock the new SHO a few points for its tall, upright seating position, which, while great for long trips and general comfort, is not the most confidence-inspiring perch from which to pilot a sport sedan. That said, there are some plusses that come with owning a car this big. At 20.1 cubic feet, the trunk with 60/40 split-folding rear seats can accommodate just about anything short of 4x8 sheets of plywood, and who doesn't know at least one person who owes his or her very existence to a big back seat?
Of course, being a SHO isn't about exterior design or interior amenities. It's about one thing: the engine. What kind of engine does it take to earn the title "Super High Output"? The new SHO's twin-turbocharged and direct-inject EcoBoost V6 towers over other six-cylinders with 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque available at a barely-over-idle 1,500 rpm. While opening the new car's hood doesn't reveal a gorgeous tangle of intake runners like the original, we're just as interested in power as being pretty and the EcoBoost V6 makes more of that than V8s in the Pontiac G8 GT (361 hp), Chrysler 300C (360 hp), BMW 550i (360 hp) and Audi A6 (350 hp). At the same time, it earns the "Eco" in its name by beating all at the pump with a 17 city mpg/25 highway rating, though premium fuel is its cocktail of choice.
3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 (left) and 3.0-liter Yamaha V6 (right)
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