The Rearview Mirror: The Car that Saved Ford Motor Co.
Taurus evolved with the addition of the SHO model in 1989, which came equipped with a 220 horsepower high-performance V-6. This week in 1985, Ford Motor Co. introduces its new midsize sedan, the 1986 Ford Taurus, along with its identical cousin, the Mercury Sable. More than 8 million Tauruses would follow during the next 34 years, making it Ford’s fifth-best-selling North American nameplate after the F-150, Escort, Model T, and Mustang. The car’s cutting-edge aerodynamic shape comes at a time when cars boast boxy, knife-edged design. powered by a 140-horsepower 3.0-liter V-6, it is Ford’s first front-wheel-drive midsize sedan. Priced from $9,645, it proves to be a triumph, one that saved the company. Yet ironically, the company squandered its success, allowing the once-loved nameplate to wither into irrelevance. Born at a bad time The story of the Ford Taurus begins in troubled times. High interest rates significantly depressed car sales, particularly larger ca...