Apparently people WILL pay $40k for a Taurus...

[hotrodalex]

What made most old cars desirable were the fact that they were cheap, widely available, and easily modifiable. That's how the '32 Ford and '57 Chevy got started as the main hot rodding cars. It had nothing to do with the memory of the cars. Those were just the cars that the kids could get their hands on - whether it was their parents' old car or they bought it for cheap.

[ifcar]

What made most old cars desirable were the fact that they were cheap, widely available, and easily modifiable. That's how the '32 Ford and '57 Chevy got started as the main hot rodding cars. It had nothing to do with the memory of the cars. Those were just the cars that the kids could get their hands on - whether it was their parents' old car or they bought it for cheap.

Which is the Civic of today.

[2o6]

To be clear: I'm not saying people are going to seek out 80s Civics. What people, like Wimmer, will want from that era are the last American boats. Not the first attempt at being modern.

That's simply not true.

[2o6]

For example:


The Pinto and Vega are still collectible though both were dismal attempts at challenging the Japanese small cars. That's WHY they're collectible.




To say that no one will want a Taurus is misinformed. Otherwise, all of our classic car auto shows would only be with a handful of models.

[ifcar]

For example:


The Pinto and Vega are still collectible though both were dismal attempts at challenging the Japanese small cars. That's WHY they're collectible.




To say that no one will want a Taurus is misinformed. Otherwise, all of our classic car auto shows would only be with a handful of models.

If you consider the Pinto and Vega to be desirable today, then I guess you'd consider the Taurus to be desirable in the future.

[Vinsanity]

To be clear: I'm not saying people are going to seek out 80s Civics. What people, like Wimmer, will want from that era are the last American boats. Not the first attempt at being modern.

Precisely why I considered getting a DTS instead of a CTS

[the Teuton]

The only thing in the interior of a DTS there to tell you anything is subpar are the interior A-pillar coverings. Otherwise, it's a really nice car.

It might be one of the most boring cars I've ever driven, but the DTS is a great lux car otherwise.

[Nethead]

From www.leftlanenews.com:

Ford Taurus earns five-star crash ratings
12/24/2009, 4:22 AM By Mark Kleis

Although the all-new Ford Taurus has been on the market since August 2009, the Taurus had not yet received federal crash test ratings ? until now. The 2010 Taurus has officially received five-star ratings for driver and passenger in front and side crash tests.

Although the Taurus has just now received official crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it already wore the title of ?Top Safety Pick? from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

?The new Taurus is the Ford safety flagship with top safety ratings and advanced crash-protection and crash-avoidance technologies that you may not find in luxury vehicles that cost twice as much,? said Sue Cischke, group vice president for Ford Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. ?A stiffer body structure and new crash-avoidance technologies make the Taurus even safer.?

Although the Taurus is engineered to handle an impact well while keeping its passengers safe, it also features crash-avoidance technologies, such as a segment-first, radar-based forward collision warning system that helps drivers avoid accidents by warning them of impending collisions. The system, enabled by Adaptive Cruise Control, uses a radar sensor to detect moving vehicles ahead and provides a visual ?heads-up? warning signal as well as an audible warning when slower-moving traffic is detected ahead.

Ford says that it currently holds more ?Top Safety Picks? and five-star crash rated vehicles than any other automaker.

Safe, and fun to drive as well:

Quick Spin: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO [Review] (But still just too big. )
12/25/2009, 12:00 PM By Mark Elias

The Canadian fall and winter can be brutal when the roads are slick and you?ve got a lot of power to put down to the tarmac ? so it?s a good thing Ford equipped the Taurus ess-aych-oh with all-wheel-drive. A brief jaunt into Ontario from Michigan up King?s Highway 402 proved that the SHO is back ? just don?t pronounce it phonetically, as lame fanboys are wont to do.

After a few forgettable years with a poseur Taurus (nee Ford Five Hundred), The company brass felt ten years was a long enough wait to revive a legend in the Ford Taurus SHO.

The Taurus SHO was one of the first four-door sports sedans built in America. Starting as a mid-size model in 1989 and continuing until 1999, if started off with a Yamaha-designed, OMC-built V6 with a manual transmission, eventually winding up in 1999 as a V8 with Yamaha heads on a Cosworth block mated to an automatic tranny. After skipping a couple of generations, it re-entered the fray, returning this year as a 2010 full-sized luxury-level sedan.

But by this time, the Taurus SHO has some competition, both foreign and domestic.

As we discussed at the launch of the Taurus SHO about six months ago, rivals include Acura?s TL, Cadillac?s CTS, Chrysler?s 300C and Lexus? GS350 all the way up to BMW?s turbocharged 535i.

To compete, Ford upped the Taurus Ante. Gone is the rental fleet darling, and in its place is a high-value full-size sedan chock full of amenities.

Playing the part
Looking like a large five-seater family sedan with a positive, or forward lean, the Taurus epitomizes the phrase ?sleeper.? So subtle, in fact, the only way you could tell it was the SHO model, is by the two-toned grille, and the SHO badge on the right rear. Otherwise, expect that the spoiler and split-spoke wheels might begin showing up as dealer-installed options on a regular Taurus before long.

The Taurus is a big sedan, but it wears its proportions reasonably well. At its core, it?s a three-box design with some glitz added around to jazz things up around the greenhouse.

Unlike the Fusion, Taurus wears Ford?s new kinetic design language ? expect to see more of this in the future.

Inside and out, the Taurus doesn?t scream luxury by any stretch, but the SHO still offers one of the better-designed interiors in a Ford in many years. A personal ?pod? built up around the driver keeps all pertinent buttons and switchgear close at hand. When looking at the dashboard overall, with the two ?brushed aluminum? eyebrows, one pictures the dashboards found in large Thunderbirds from the mid 1960s. That this retro vibe that carries over to the contemporary confines of this cockpit is a case of looking back to move forward.

We likethe ability to quickly sync a Bluetooth equipped smart phone simply by pushing the setup button and then issuing voice commands, and we appreciate the almost Korean-like level of equipment not typically found in this price range. Heated and cooled front seats, a kicking Sony-branded audio system and more ? luxury brands don?t typically include this much spec with this much grunt (more on that in a minute) for another $15,000.

And probably for the first time in any Ford, this Taurus SHO?s optional multi-contoured seats feature? get this: A butt massager. Occupants of the driver?s seat bottom will be delighted, and in some cases thrilled, when they discover their chair has rollers in it to keep the blood flowing in the glutes during long cross country ventures.

Still, this interior isn?t as upscale as the Taurus SHO?s intentions would make it seem. Roomy and comfortable, absolutely. World-beating, probably not.

A seven-letter mantra
Repeat after me: Ecoboost. The twin turbo-equipped V6 has found its way into the Flex and Lincoln?s MKT, but here is where it really shines. Add to that the Haldex all-wheel-drive system from Sweden and you?ll think you are driving a safety-enhanced Volvo. No, not really, but the system adds a fair amount of stability when encountering less than ideal conditions on the tarmac.

As for powerplants, this Ecoboost 3.5 liter direct injection V6 engine is brilliant. Producing 365 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, and 350 lb-ft. of torque, the V6 can propel this 4,400-pound beast at high speed in an amazing manner. That it has 12-pounds of weight for every single horsepower equivalent is nice to note, as well. So good, in fact, we think the idea of an SHO Fusion is one that should be seriously considered. Perhaps it?s time to ready the SVT offices for occupancy again.

Our test Taurus SHO came equipped with the optional SHO Performance Package option box ticked, and as a result scored us with 20-inch P245/45 Y-rated summer performance tires and nickel-aluminum wheels. In addition to beefier brakes, and a sport tuned electronic steering system, the transmission is equipped with a 3.16:1 final drive ratio.

We thought the Ecoboost V6 was torquey the first time around. Today, we still think it?s only rock and roll, but we like it! That and the audio cone under hood that funnels the fun decibels back to the cockpit for some great automotive aural excitement. The handling is once again sporting without being racecar harsh, making this a very livable, high performance boulevardier.

The six-speed transmission offered us a chance to exercise our thumbs by way of the paddle ?chiclets? on the steering wheel. They work well enough; we just think they should be of the flatter, larger, more controllable paddle-style of shifter.

The ride over the pock-marked highway leading to Canada was smoother than we thought possible considering the conditions of the road. The strut tower brace linking the MacPherson struts get most of the credit here, coupled with the reverse lower control arms. A rear-mounted multi-link suspension handles things out back and maintains the rear tire adhesion with the pavement. Overall, the ride was such that we just wanted to push the SHO harder through the nicely swept turns in lower Ontario than most people would ever be capable of doing in other vehicles.

Leftlane?s bottom line
Better than the sum of all the juicy bits that come as part of the Taurus SHO is the public observations and remarks of everyone from the drive-thru attendant at Tim Horton?s Donuts, to the Immigration Officer at the U.S./Canadian border in Sarnia. The positive reactions were universal.

While the Taurus SHO is a damn good car judged on its own, it walks a fine line between performance and luxury, merely dabbling in both sides. Channel some of the lessons learned in developing the Taurus into a more trim, budget-friendly EcoBoost V6 Fusion SHO - it just rolls off the tongue ? and we?ll be first in line with cash in hand.

2010 Ford Taurus SHO base price, $37,770. As tested, $42,480.
Package 401B, $2,000; Red Candy paint, $295; SHO Performance Group, $995; Multi-contour seats, $595; Destination, $825.

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

[hotrodalex]

Which is the Civic of today.

True. But I'm fairly certain it won't last like the '32 Ford and '57 Chevy have.

[sportyaccordy]

True. But I'm fairly certain it won't last like the '32 Ford and '57 Chevy have.

Yea it will, at least in areas of low rust