Modern-day barn finds are seemingly far less common than a truly antique vehicle being pulled out of the darkness, but they do exist. This 1994 Ford Taurus SHO is a great example of a car that will look even more tempting 30 years from now when finding one of Ford’s rare high-performance sedans equipped with a 5-speed manual is truly a monumental occasion. This SHO was parked here by the original owner, who has listed it here on craigslist with an asking price of $1,800 after developing clutch and suspension issues.
The seller notes it was parked due to a clutch issue, bad suspension bushing, and “….me aging out of hot rods.” While not everyone will call the SHO a hot rod, people of a certain age would call anything built by the factory with a high-performance engine and 0-60 times of under seven seconds deserving of the title. The seller believes the run to sixty was closer to five seconds, but road test editors at the time confirmed the manual could make the run in 6.7 seconds. Still impressive, even if the seller is a bit foggy on its true potential. The interior is tired, and while the seller doesn’t include the mileage in the listing, that steering wheel wear indicates it’s been well-used.
The 3.0L V6 built in concert with Yamaha was a screamer when new, and still plenty of fun to hustle today. The seller doesn’t relay any details on maintenance covered while in his care, but you’d hope an original owner would have addressed the big 60K mile service these high-strung engines all need. You see a lot of SHOs get dumped at 58K miles or left in pieces after the 60K service by owners who attempt to do the work themselves. Given we don’t see too many of these second-generation cars still in the hands of the original owners, there’s a chance this seller took care of this service and then continued to drive the doors off of it – at least until the clutch issues began.
Now, when you see a subwoofer and an amp, you usually think of some high schooler making bad purchasing decisions with the meager resources they have available. But in the case of this seller – who I presume to be older – it seems more likely he bought this SHO while still in the age bracket that allowed you to have some bass pumping from the trunk while you pulled up to your entry-level management job. Who knows, but unless there’s a ton of sound deadening in place to keep it from rattling the body panels, I’d be removing this ode to 90s stereo shops as my first order of business. Would you take a chance on bringing this SHO back from the brink?
It’s a reasonable price, but it’s gonna cost big time in the end. That Yamaha is gonna need work after sitting.
The Yamaha engine will be fine. Everything else is another story…
SHO or not , all I see is a green Taurus with a beige gut . Performance yes, but boring looks, inside and out. Almost a 30 year old car, and my opinion of these haven’t changed .
In the late 80’s a colleague of mine bought a new green Taurus. Owing to the color and bubble like lines we all called it the “Tortoise”. I too thought these were at least boring. Still do.
I think that Yamaha SHO engine was a 3.0L DOHC V8.
The SHO engine for the 1st and 2nd generation were Yanaha 3.0 liter V6’s. The 2nd generation eventually had an automatic trans option which came with a 3.2 V6. The 3rd generation had a Ford V8 and was automatic only.
Located in Dewey, IL
I owned a white ’94 SHO with the 5 speed. It was fun to drive, but the Ford parts started wearing out. It was the only car I ever owned where I had to replace the clutch every 40,000 miles. Toward the end, the car had too many rattles and I no longer thought it was worth the maintenance it required. I don’t think the SHO will ever be a highly valued collectable.
I have a friend who had one just like this. He ended up giving it away because it needed some parts that were just unobtainable. Ford didn’t have them. Nobody had them. Simple things, too, like hoses and fittings. This was about ten years ago. I hope things are somehow better now.
I had a 65 SHO back around 1966 and it had an auto trans with all leather interior and red exterior. Boy was it fast! My wife’s love.I cry every time I think that I traded it in for an Impala.
There was no Taurus or SHO until the ’80s and the early SHOs were 5 speed manuals only.
Good price, Plenty of parts cars around. Fair chance of fixing up, driving around awhile and selling for profit.
I for one love these cars. I have never owned one but drove an 94 automatic for sale years ago. It was a fun car to drive but I had to have the stick so I bought a Mustang instead. The kids got too big for the cramped back so I sold it. I am looking but I need more info and pictures than what is stated. Good project car for $500.
Gen 1 and 2 cars are V6, 5 speed cars are 3.0l. Gen 2 automatic cars are 3.2l. Gen 3 (96-99) cars are all 3.4l V8’s.