My first car was a Ford. It lasted a week before expiring in a ditch between Wymeswold and Willoughby on the Wolds as I ferried the delectable Crosley sisters back home from the Fan Club in Leicester one cold winter’s night. I never owned a Ford again in the UK, but then entered the P71 Crown Vic (cop car) phase of my life in the US, fueled by my love of auctions, cheap cars and pretending to be a police man.
The only other notable Ford I have been in is the SHO. What I like about the SHO is that the S stands for Super. A mighty claim, you might think, but not so. This is not some immodest American marketing – the SHO really does have Super High Output from its V6 engine. Coupled to a five speed manual transmission – it’s a stick – it makes for some giggles.
A friend drove me down Airport Blvd at breakneck speed once to see a play, and I was impressed with the brutality of the SHO – the noise, the power, the blackness of the paint of the late ’80s car. The V6 produces more power than the V8 in a P71 – the car the cops are allegedly supposed to use to catch heinous criminicals [sic]. And given the SHO weighs about a quarter less than the police car, it makes for more spirited driving.
Rumor has it that said friend is parting with his beloved SHO, and that it may be available soon. [edit – his 1991 Ford Taurus SHO is for sale right now!]