The Blue Turd is back, with more power and less weight and a new world record.
We won’t lie, this Ford Taurus SHO is a working-class hero to us. The Blue Turd was first seen in when only had 800 horsepower (597kilowatts). He was able to run nine second passes with his upgraded stock SHO engine block to 1,000 horsepower (746 kW) and he became the world’s fastest Taurus. He has been faster than ever since then, as his engine produces an estimated 1,100 horsepower (820 kW) to the wheels.
This brings us to the article. It focuses on Wright’s accomplishments this weekend. Wright had to overcome many mechanical problems and a Coronavirus epidemic. The result was an eight-second Ford Taurus, which can reach 170 mph in quarter-miles. It still has a stock engine block, crankshaft, and stock heads. Wright is still frantically shifting the Taurus SHO five speed manual transmission with clutch and stick.
The Blue Turd ran 8.967 mph at 170.69 miles per hour. Yes, the hood parted company with the car towards end of the run. There’s much more to the story, however, since the big run didn’t actually take place during the event. Wright spoke exclusively to Motor1.com about the eight-second pass and how hard it took.
Wright explained that on the first day, Wright didn’t make any passes because of electrical problems. Wright said that he made one pass the next day, but electrical problems were still present. The engine was breaking down and popping. I decided at 3:00 AM to drill a hole into the cylinder head and use an engine crankshaft sensor wired as a camshaft sensing. I knew I had only one chance because if the hole was not perfected, it would be permanently . It worked.
This was just one of many problems at this track. There were still ignition problems in the first qualifying round that needed more attention. On the second qualifying round, the car broke an axle but was mistakenly diagnosed as internal to the transmission. The engine and transmission were taken out of the car, and the trans was disassembled to make sure there was nothing wrong. To save time, he installed his backup transmission and continued.
Officials changed the event due to Coronavirus. This included a significant reduction in qualifying rounds and testing. Wright entered eliminations with only two passes and nerves about breaking another axle. Wright went too heavy on clutch during launch. The result was a 9.8 second ET at 150 mph, with the clutch sliding badly throughout. He was unable to make it past the first round and was therefore eliminated.
Wright stated that Wright had stumbled upon a private rental of a track one day after TX2K20. “I paid for the rental and worked until 4:00 AM to replace the clutch. The backup transmission didn’t shift into the third or fourth gear on the first attempt. It was preventing it from shifting into the next gear. I took the engine and trans out and rebuilt my trans. It was back in the lane within 2.5 hours.
It was worth the hard work and perseverance. The first pass, with everything back together, was 9.0 at around 169 mph. Jason Zuress, Wright’s tuner, is showing the second pass in the video above. Although the 8.96 run was a record-breaking speed, Wright pointed out that the loose hood at these speeds was a parachute and it eventually flew off in spectacular fashion. The Blue Turd should fly faster.
Wright said, “I have some great sponsors that support me, Vibrant Performance SCE Gaskets SHOSource, Ferrera Racing Components, Ebtec and Vibrant Performance.” These are just a handful of the people who have helped me. This 8.95 should get me into the Import/Vs. Domestic World Cup Finals.”
Yes. After many days of frustration and endless hours of mechanical work, the Taurus was able to achieve 8.9 at 170 MPH with a loose hood. Wright acknowledges that there are many other people in racing who work just as hard as him, but let’s face it: There are plenty of people just like Wright. This is the only way to do it in an old Taurus. He must make his own rules and no one has spare parts.
We simply want to express our gratitude to Zach. We cannot wait to see the Blue Turd again in action.