There’s little doubt that the highlight of the original Taurus SHO was its 3.0-liter, DOHC V-6. The high-revving V-6 was mostly engineered and designed by Yamaha – but not for the Taurus. A small group of employees (with a strong link to the company’s Special Vehicle Operations group) commissioned the engine for a mid-engine sports coupe codenamed GN34.
Although it’s easy enough to describe the car as Ford’s Fiero, the GN34 would have been slightly more exotic, aimed at the likes of Ferrari’s Mondial and replacing the DeTomaso Pantera in Lincoln-Mercury’s portfolio. We’ve no idea how a team (with strong links to Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations group) managed to build a business case for such a niche vehicle, but it did – by late 1984, the GN34 project was approved, and plans were made to produce the car in southern France.
By 1986, things changed. Ford had the time and money to develop either the GN34 or a far-fetched idea for a four-door Bronco II, called “Explorer.” As you can guess, the latter won, and the rest is history. Ford still had a contract with Yamaha, however, so it crafted another application for the 3.0-liter six: the Taurus SHO.
Most GN34 prototypes were destroyed shortly after the program’s cancellation, but two managed to escape the scrapyard. Jack Roush, whose firm helped test and engineer the GN34, managed to squirrel this pair away within his private collection.
If they happen to look slightly like DeTomaso Panteras, there’s a good reason for that. While early examples used highly-modified Escort EXP bodies, later examples used modified Pantera shells. Take a close look at the taillights, aluminum wheels, and doors – they’re stock Pantera units. For whatever reason, there are some visual differences between the two: the black unit sports rear quarter windows like a late-model Pontiac Fiero GT, while the red GN34 features solid (and ungainly) flying buttresses.
There’s a more notable difference underhood. Lift the rear deck panel on the red car, and you’ll find the legendary SHO mill tucked neatly in back. Do the same on the black car, however, and you’re staring down at a 351-cubic-inch V-8. So much for a Fiero competitor; with this powertrain, the GN34 could easily have been a successor of sorts to the Pantera itself.
As much as we’d have enjoyed a car like this back in the day, there’s no denying the positive impact both the Taurus SHO and Explorer had on Ford’s fortunes in the 1990s. Here’s hoping the new SHO – along with a rumored unibody Explorer – do the same for Ford in the years to come.