It produces nearly 800 horsepower at its front wheels, and it sounds terrible.
Ford Taurus. The names of X-brand rental cars are not as common as those two words. However, the SHO letters make it all more memorable. We were intrigued when we came across this second-generation 1995 Taurus, affectionately known as The Blue Turd. We were astonished to see this beast make 769 horsepower. According to Zach Wright, the SHO can do more.
Wright spoke to Motor1.com in a telephone interview. Wright stated that the car produced 780 horsepower and 690 pound feet of torque on another run. However, my videographer was not there. We were so infatuated by this incredible build, that we reached out to the Georgia resident to find out more. Before we get any further, we confirmed that those power figures were at the wheels. A quick calculation of driveline loss shows that this Yamaha V6 produces over 900 horsepower at the crankshaft.
It’s the fastest Taurus… It’s the Fastest Taurus in The World
Wright says that the crankshaft block and block are still available in stock. A massive turbo forces the SHO intake manifold, which is bolted to top of engine, to remain in place. An earlier version of this engine used stock connecting rods, stock head gaskets, and 31 pounds of boost. You didn’t know that a Taurus engine could achieve such incredible power. This is a new level of respect for Yamahammer.
Wright bought the car in Florida nine years ago for $950. It was a stock Taurus that Wright drove through school. But things changed. He eventually ran out of the limited aftermarket support available for V6 SHOs. So he turned to his own skills and the assistance of several companies to build the parts he needed. He cites Vibrant Performance and Jaz Tuning as key players in the development of the SHO. TBM Brakes’ fully customized brake kit shaved 60 lbs off his Taurus by replacing the heavy stock units with lighter items. The car weighs in at 2,660 pounds with more than 70% of its weight on the front wheels.
It’s even faster now:
This is a good thing, because unlike the new-generation all-wheel drive model, the old SHO only turns the front wheels. Although the transmission has a custom-made hardened gear system with a limited slip differential, it is still a five-speed manual that Wright drives like a madman at drag strip. He races it. The car was featured in a YouTube clip by 1320 video a few months ago. Wright made a quarter-mile run in 10.12 seconds at speed of 143 mph. It was a Taurus.
The dyno pull demonstrates that he has made some improvements since then, but still has a lot to do. He is determined to race in the class that has cars running in the eight-second range. When it happens, we will share the video.
It’s not street legal. It can still go fast if you put enough effort. This Blue Turd is a tribute to the SHO.