When it hit the market for the 1986 model year, the Ford Taurus quickly became a sensation in America. This front-wheel-drive midsize family sedan looked like no other Ford before it thanks to aerodynamic styling highlighted by a grille-less nose that fronted an elegant, rounded form. A well-thought-out, comfortable and roomy cabin greeted passengers, and while the car's running gear and suspension design were nothing earth-shattering, they kept overall pricing very competitive. A year later, the Taurus was Ford's best-selling car.
A wagon version was also available for those modern, active '80s families, while driving enthusiasts welcomed the arrival of the pavement-scorching Taurus SHO sport sedan a few years later. The SHO featured a Yamaha-designed, 220-horsepower V6 and a buttoned-down suspension that allowed this Ford to give the pricey German sedans a run for their deutsch marks.
The original Ford Taurus was, through most of the early- and mid-'90s, the best-selling car in America. Unfortunately for the Blue Oval, an oval-themed redesign in the mid-'90s failed to elicit the same excitement as the first-generation Taurus. At the same time, increasingly more competent rivals from Japan boasted superior reliability records. Combined, these two elements dampened the Taurus' popularity considerably. As the years wore on, Ford's once bright segment star was seen more often in rental car lots than suburban families' driveways.
Although Ford announced in late 2006 that it was pulling the plug on the Taurus, its death was short-lived. Perhaps realizing it might have been a bit premature to give up on a name with so much consumer awareness, Ford resurrected the Taurus moniker for 2008 when it renamed its revamped Five Hundred full-size sedan.
