12/8/2001: Was there ever a SHO Station Wagon? Of course! What else could possibly make a better sleeper? Ford apparently created one SHO wagon as a study project as described below, and a few other Gen I, II, and III wagons have been converted by SHO enthusiasts over the years. I've seen pictures of a black Gen I SLO Wagon with a Gen II SHO front fascia, a Gen III V8 SHO wagon, and below is a link to a Gen II SHO Wagon nicknamed Thumper :
Car and Driver magazine did a story in April 1993 on a one-off SHO station wagon built by Ford as a study project. There was a lot of structural reinforcement involved and Ford apparently didn't think the potential market justified proceeding. Volvo has done quite well with the competitive 850 Turbo in wagon form, however.
Rumors occasionally circulate that a SHO-powered wagon may yet appear as a Mercury (Ed note: as of 12/2001, this is looking doubtful).
From Lon Adams :
With regards to the SHO wagon, yes there's at least one that was built by Ford at the request of Car and Driver magazine. The SHO wagon was the cover feature in the April '93 issue. It was billed as "The fastest, leanest, meanest and best station wagon Ford ever built".
While the engine and drive train fit the car without trouble, the biggest concern centered around the wagon's torsional rigidity. This problem was solved by welding reinforcing plates in the front wheelhouses, on the floor near the D-pillars, at the tops of the C-pillars, and in vital wheel well locations.
The suspension used a unique 23mm front anti-roll bar and a 15mm rear bar. Low load springs were used in the rear and the stock shock absorbers from the standard wagon were used.
The car weighed 3,636 lbs, went from 0 to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds and stopped from 70 mph in 172 feet. Estimated sales price, if Ford had been convinced to build them, was $30,000.
I have the article which is how I know so much about it. My memory's not THAT good.
Best regards,
Lon
I received this via email recently - some previously unknown news on the "SHO Wagon" :
I used to work at Ford in the Brake Engineering group. Everyone knows about the red SHO wagon tested by Car and Driver, but Ford built two of these cars at the same time.
We used this car for various brake testing, mostly engineering boondoggling. The car has 17" OZ Corsa wheels on it to allow for the installation of 1994 Cobra brakes on the front and rear, which was done.
We had a great time driving this car around Dearborn, and everywhere we drove it, people asked if it was going to be built soon. Ultimately, the tire clearance in the rear wheel well was the limiting factor. 10,000 cars a year was not enough justification to modify one of the largest stampings on the car- especially one that was unchanged for as long as that one was.
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Re: Is there an SHO Station Wagon?
(Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Dec 12, 2003 - 10:07 PM
I have been a SHO fan since I drove my dentist's new SHO in 1989, which he modified with a Borla exhaust/ECA chip/newer wheels & tires. I've owned a 91 Sable SW for the last 6 years. Recently, at the auto repair shop where I work, a customer hit a tree with her 93 SHO. She totalled her car just 3 days after spending $800 for sealing oil leaks and a tune-up. She asked if any of us would be interested in buying her car for $350. YES! YES! YES!
It took 6 weeks in my spare time to switch the drivetrains onto the Sable subframe (SHO's was bent from the accident,), install the shifter, console, bucket seats, instrument cluster, fuel tank, pump, & fuel lines. But the hardest part of the transplant was ELECTRICAL WIRING! I used the engine/ECA/EFI harness with the engine, and had to switch wiring within the connectors of the Sable chassis harness. The SHO had the Power Distribution Box & Maxi-Fuses behind the LF strut tower, whereas the Sable had the old style, conventional fusebox under the dash. It was difficult, time-consuming, & sometimes confusing, but with 30 years of experience as an auto tech. It all worked out well.
WHAT A SLEEPER OF AN AUTOMOBILE !!! I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY NEXT DENTIST APPOINTMENT, TO SHOW IT OFF !!
