Who made the Ford Taurus SHO engine?
The engine behind the Ford Taurus SHO was originally designed by Yamaha (a 3.0-liter V6); later SHO generations used Ford’s own engines, including the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 in the 2010s. The SHO line concluded in 2019.
Historical overview of the SHO engines
The Taurus SHO’s engine story spans several generations and engineering partnerships. Early models drew on a Yamaha-designed powerplant, while later versions moved to Ford-developed powertrains, culminating in Ford’s EcoBoost technology in the modern era.
Key engines by generation
- Original Taurus SHO (late 1980s to early 1990s): a 3.0-liter DOHC V6 designed by Yamaha. Ford handled manufacturing and integration for use in the SHO, reflecting a collaboration between the two companies.
- Mid-1990s SHO variants (1996–1999): introduced a 3.4-liter DOHC V8 developed by Ford for the SHO, marking a shift toward Ford-engineered performance.
- Modern Taurus SHO (2010–2019/2020): a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 designed and built by Ford, signaling a return to in-house engine development for the performance variant.
These generations illustrate the SHO’s engine evolution—from Yamaha-designed roots to Ford-led powertrains in the modern era, with the model ultimately ending production in 2019.
Details by generation
First generation and early SHO
The earliest Taurus SHO models leveraged a Yamaha-designed 3.0-liter V6, a high-period engineering collaboration that gave the SHO its distinctive performance character. Ford managed production and integration for the Taurus platform, relying on Yamaha for the engine design.
Mid-1990s transition
In the mid-1990s, Ford introduced a more powerful option for the SHO—a 3.4-liter DOHC V8—representing a shift to Ford-engineered power within the SHO lineup and signaling the model’s performance ambitions beyond the original V6 configuration.
Modern era
For the reborn SHO in the 2010s, Ford adopted the 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. This engine was designed and built entirely by Ford, aligning the SHO with Ford’s current performance and efficiency engineering strategies.
Summary: The Taurus SHO’s powertrain history reflects a lineage from Yamaha-designed origins to Ford-developed modern engines, aligned with the model’s lifespan and Ford’s evolving engineering focus.
Summary
The Ford Taurus SHO began with Yamaha’s engine design, establishing the model’s high-performance identity in its early years. Over time, Ford took full control of the SHO’s powertrains, moving from the original 3.0-liter V6 to a 3.4-liter V8 in the late 1990s, and eventually to the EcoBoost-era 3.5-liter V6 in the 2010s. The SHO line ended after the 2019 model year, marking the end of a distinctive chapter in Ford’s performance sedan history.
