1989 Taurus SHO

[Maindrian Pace]

Once upon a time, Ford decided that it was going to offer the baddest 4 door sedan in all the land. People laughed out loud. They delivered. People stopped laughing. It was a different world back then, but the SHO with it's Yamaha engineered 3 liter V6 was the business, and the sedan arms race started then and there. In those days, the model companies released new models at the same time as the new cars, and AMT dropped their very nice, promo based kit on the market while the cars were filing into the dealer show rooms. I went to the local Phoenix Toys R Us and got the new kit the first day they had it, back when TRU stocked model kits... and existed. I dove right in, originally intending to build it box stock. Like that ever happens. I looked at the well executed body and I thought to myself "I wonder how this would look as a 2 door coupe?" 

About like this.

The only surviving photo of the original build showing what I did; re-scribed door lines to 2 door configuration, moved the posts back, eliminated the rear most stationary glass posts. But there was a problem, the 1/4 windows were too big, it reminded me of a Volvo 242 in that way.  What now? I decided to move the C pillars/rear window/back of the roof line forward to make the windows and roof smaller and the trunk lid longer to bring it it into proportion. I shortened the interior shell to match the new green house length, and that was pretty much that. I painted it in some sort of Testors maroon, possibly Model Master, and called it done. I took it to the club meeting, the theme that month was Customs. Only a couple of guys picked up on what was done, others guessed that it was a Thunderbird or a Tempo. When word got out, it won the plaque that day, the same day the above photo was taken.

But a few weeks after that, tragedy struck. Sort of. I used 3M spot putty, AKA red lead, back in those days, and as I was in such a hurry to get this car done for the meeting, I didn't allow enough time for the putty to cure - and it shrunk everywhere, revealing all the door lines, the trunk surgery, everything. I was bummed. So I stripped it down, began to reapply the filler, got frustrated and bored, and put it in a box - for 33 years.

Fast forward a year and change ago, and the subject of the SHO coupe came up in a discussion with a club member, so I dug around and found it (for reasons unknown) in a '64 Galaxie box. I started fooling around with it, and before too long, the body work was finished once again - in Tamiya filler, no more red lead.

The idea this time around was to do what I wanted to do back in the day, paint it in the factory 2F Currant Red, one of three colors offered on that car in '89.

I didn't know anything about air brushes then, that came later, and getting factory colors was difficult and expensive. I called Scalefinishes and Jameston set me up with a bottle, not offered on his site, but he will make you up about any color you need for no extra charge, because that's how he rolls.

I painted the body and cleared it with Tamiya TS-13, decanted and airbrushed.

Masked and sprayed the black trim.

Edited July 1, 2024 by Maindrian Pace

[Deathgoblin]

Looks great!    

[stavanzer]

Very Sharp Conversion!

Keep up the good Work.

[TarheelRick]

Loved the SHO. You have done a very impressive job rebuilding this one, not only in redoing the kit but also in the overall concept of the build.

[DJMar]

That conversion looks great, no doubt a lot of good work right there! ?

[av405]

Fantastic work so far! I really liked the backstory. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

That, sir, is really cool. Very nice work.  

Soon as I get settled in Az., I'm going hunting for one of those engines (real) and a 5-speed to stuff in the middle of a gen1 MR2.

[slusher]

Beautiful paint and finish!

[dwc43]

Great looking car. I have a couple of them stored somewhere. I made Robo Cop cop cars out of them.

[ncbuckeye67]

Nicely done! I love the "what if" builds.

[ewetwo]

Nice.

[thatz4u]

looks great so far

[Speedpro]

Nice work so far! Had a buddy who had one the same color. Went 130 plus a few times in it!

[LennyB]

Very nice choice. I always wanted to build a real  SHO Taurus Wagon. Used up a number of Taurus' for work and always thought a wagon would be cool.

[Tim W. SoCal]

I've always been appalled by auto makers producing "super cars" as 4 door sedans instead of 2 door coupes. Your Taurus SHO build is what I believe Ford should have made in the first place... NICE color choice. Every Taurus SHO I've ever seen or worked on was either black or titanium silver. BITCHEN build, Mike.

[Maindrian Pace]

Thanks very much for the nice words. I've always said that eventually, I get around to everything. In this case, very eventually.

[Maindrian Pace]

16 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

That, sir, is really cool. Very nice work.  

Soon as I get settled in Az., I'm going hunting for one of those engines (real) and a 5-speed to stuff in the middle of a gen1 MR2.

I don't think I've ever heard of that swap before. It would be nuts, a cozy little wild thing for two. What part of AZ are you moving to?

[Maindrian Pace]

1 hour ago, Tim W. SoCal said:

I've always been appalled by auto makers producing "super cars" as 4 door sedans instead of 2 door coupes. Your Taurus SHO build is what I believe Ford should have made in the first place... NICE color choice. Every Taurus SHO I've ever seen or worked on was either black or titanium silver. BITCHEN build, Mike.

I agree, but the Taurus was only offered in 4 door form, and they probably thought it would take sales from the T bird Super Coupe. Still, it would have been nice to have a 2 door Taurus in any trim level.