DEARBORN, Mich. - Certain southern U.S. senators made great political hay last year arguing that "Detroit doesn't build cars that people want."
Toledoan Perry Janney - and hundreds of other enthusiasts like the 55-year-old electronics repair technician - would beg to differ.
Almost immediately after Ford Motor Co. announced a few years ago it intended to revive the Taurus sedan for the 2010 model year, aficionados like Mr. Janney of a particular model of Taurus, the SHO - an acronym for Super High Output - began pleading with Ford to resurrect their favorite high-performance four-door.
Ask and you shall receive - especially if you're willing to pay $37,995.
Today at the Chicago Auto Show, Ford will unveil its 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, a luxury sedan with an exclusive interior and 365 horses under the hood that it intends to bring back to dealerships this year.
Last week, Mr. Janney and a handful of his fellow SHO enthusiasts were invited to Ford's private Dearborn test track to help unwrap the gift that Ford had made them.
"When I bought this one, we went out onto the highway and took all the exit ramps, just so I could go roaring back down the entrance ramps," Mr. Janney said. "I couldn't get the smile off my face."
Ford will bring back the SHO even though it is a low-volume vehicle - only 100,000 were made during its 10-year run from 1989 to 1999 - because of the "overwhelming requests" of SHO enthusiasts, Ford executives said.
"It's all about listening to customers and delivering what they want," said Mark Fields, Ford's president for the Americas.
The new SHO has a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter direct- injection V6 that generates 300 foot-pounds of torque and an all-wheel-drive powertrain with a six-speed transmission and paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
"I think it shows what Ford can do as we listen to our customers," said Jim Farley, Ford's vice president of marketing.
"I just can't wait to get it out and drive it," said Ryan Pasch, the Chicago SHO enthusiast who, after the automaker revived the Taurus name, started the Web site www.bringbackthesho.com to goad Ford into remaking a Taurus-based performance sedan.
Mr. Janney owns three SHOs, a 1991, a 1992, and a 1995 model. He said the attraction of the vehicle, even those nearly 20 years old, is the beast that hides below a modest, understated exterior.
"It's subtle. It doesn't have a tremendous amount of bling that's going to blind you when you look at it; there's just something different about it that sort of piques your interest," he said.
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:
lvellequette@theblade.com
or 419-724-6091.
First Published February 11, 2009, 10:40 a.m.
