The 1989 Ford Taurus SHO has become a modern classic. Its arrival was an unexpected shock for car enthusiasts, as Ford shoved a 3.0-liter, Yamaha-built V-6 into their family hauler, transforming it into a car that can also haul ass.
The original SHOgun was also mated to a slick-shifting five-speed manual, although an automatic was made available later in the car’s model run.
The SHO is still made today, although it has changed significantly over the last 27 years. It’s more of a highway cruiser than a backroad burner, having gained significant weight and having lost the manual transmission. The turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 does make more power – 365 hp vs the 89’s 220 hp – but it has to pull around 1,000 pounds more car.
At the drag strip, the new car will take the old car’s lunch money every time, but is straight-line speed the only thing that matters? From a pure numbers perspective, the new SHO also puts up better handling numbers.
So how do the old and new SHO stack up against each other? BlueSpringsFordParts.com put together an infographic to compare the two. After checking out the graphic for yourself, which one would you prefer to drive? Is it the new luxury-performance car with all the bells and whistles, or is it the classic, lightweight car with the high-revving V-6 and five-speed manual? Start the conversation in the comments below.
Source: BlueSpringsFordParts.com
