This Not-Quite-Right Ford Taurus Slipped Past NASCAR’s Inspectors And Got Approved For Homologation

The Ford Taurus has several good ideas to be pleased with. The preliminary Taurus/Sable launch obtained Ford out of a rut that they had actually been embeded because the mid-1970s and also got them to develop their layout viewpoint, their method to mass-market vehicles, also their quality control. The original two versions of the Taurus SHO are legit sport cars. Then, 1996 happened, Ford developers went bonkers over oval forms, as well as the Taurus obtained … well, there’s no being nice concerning it, it obtained absolutely unsightly. The “flying potato” initially and second-gen cars weren’t show-stoppers, either, however compared to the 1996 Taurus, they were eyebleach-worthy.

In 1996, Ford had one more issue on their hands. The Thunderbird was vanishing … it seemed no one suched as the MN-12 ‘Bird, and also they were more than happy to see it die. That left a big question mark regarding NASCAR … what cars and truck would take the role? A Lincoln Mark VIII was vetoed nearly as soon as NASCAR approved a body for use, since Lincoln needed to support the luxury side of the house (and also no one at Ford comprehended just how automobiles like the Mark VII LSC and the Buick Grand National sold like they did). Rather, a person checked out the Taurus, decided that would be the winning formula, and reached work. The 1998 Taurus would be the launching of the front-wheel-drive, four-door sedan-based NASCAR body … yet something needed to be done to make certain the Taurus body might compete with Chevrolet’s Monte Carlo, which had been kicking butt on the ovals considering that it returned in 1995.

Click on the video clip to discover exactly how the weirdest butt lift in history brought Ford’s NASCAR efforts into the 21st Century: