1991 Ford Taurus “The Velvet Hammer”

The 1986 model year introduced the first-generation Ford Taurus, a front-wheel-drive sedan and wagon that replaced the rear-wheel-drive Ford LTD. Its rounded, aerodynamic body, often called the jelly-bean shape, posted a 0.32 drag coefficient and marked a sharp break from the boxy American sedans of the early 1980s. The base engine in 1986 was a 2.5 HSC inline-four, with the pushrod Vulcan 3.0 V6 standard on GL and LX trims and optional on the L. For 1988 Ford added the Essex 3.8 V6 as the upper engine, rated at the same 140 horsepower as the 3.0 but producing more torque. Transmissions included a five-speed manual on the MT-5, the three-speed ATX automatic with the HSC four, and the four-speed AXOD automatic with the Vulcan V6. For 1989 Ford introduced the Taurus SHO, fitted with a Yamaha-designed and Yamaha-built 3.0 dual-overhead-cam 24-valve V6 rated at 220 horsepower, paired only with a five-speed manual; after the early MT-5 manual model was discontinued, the SHO was the only manual-transmission Taurus from 1989 through 1991. First-generation production through 1991 totaled 1,959,671 units, comprising 1,487,514 sedans and 472,157 wagons. The Mercury Sable was the first-generation Taurus's badge-engineered sibling.