Agent 00J Lays Out a Case for SHO - Perhaps Buying American Isn't Such a Bad Idea Anymore!

When I was 13 years old, I remember the Ford Taurus gracing the covers of almost every car magazine as the car that revolutionized the mid-size automotive segment.

  Several years later the Taurus SHO took center stage as the Yamaha developed DOHC 6-cylinder engine took center stage as the halo vehicle of the Taurus lineup making the Taurus cool.

Only available with a 5-speed manual transmission, the SHO ran with some pretty heavy hitters of the time and faired very well.  And we as Americans had a credible sports sedan we could be proud of.  The second generation continued the theme, however the addition of an automatic transmission made the SHO accessible to a larger portion of the market diluting the halo effect.  Forget about the third generation SHO, granted the Yamaha developed V8 may have had decent performance specs, but saddled with a truly radical body design and hobbled with only a automatic transmission, suddenly the value of the SHO moniker lost street credibility and the Taurus as a whole was delegated to rental car and corporate fleets.

Fast forward to 2009 and an all new Taurus is coming to market with a halo SHO gracing the top of the Taurus lineup.  Although now manual transmission is on the option sheet, an automated manual at least offers the option to shift your own gears, and well powered engine rounds out some credibility to the SHO bringing some pride back to American automakers.

And enthusiasts everywhere have collectively yawned...

...because the SHO just isn't what it used to be.

Or is it???

In January I seriously debated driving to Detroit to meet up with Agent 001 at the North American International Auto Show.  In looking for hotel rooms, I somehow stumbled across a website regarding abandoned buildings in Detroit including the old Packard Factory.

I became intrigued by the notion of an automotive factory being abandoned since 1956, a 3.5 million square foot workspace gone dormant due to the decline of an industry that didn't start in the 80's or 90's, but instead was started in the 50's and 60's.

Although I didn't make the auto show in January, the month of June saw me making a trek to Detroit to explore not only the abandoned Packard Factory, but other landmarks as well that have simply been left for dead.  The guide I connected with kept asking me my opinion on the various sites, and aside from comparing it to a "post apocalyptic" scene straight out of a end of the world movie.  The fact that I was left without words is testament to the scenes I was witnessing with my own two eyes.




But amongst the devastation (urban decay) was the beauty that once was Detroit.  Architecture so grand and mighty, buildings that would not and more importantly COULD NOT be built anymore due to sheer cost. 

And therein the hope of the US auto industry started to emerge.

For within these ruins the hope revealed itself through 2 telling tags of graffiti.  One that simply stated, "The North Will Rise Again" and another more poignant stating, "Detroit Died For Your Sins."




It didn't make sense to me at first, it wasn't until my final hours on the ground in Detroit prior to boarding a plane to go home that all the dots were connected for me.

Having spent hours in grand architecture that had simply been left for dead left me with more questions than answers.  Time spent in the Packard Factory, a building designed by Albert Kahn - himself being the architect of the modern factory - left me wondering the simply question, "Why?"

It didn't hit me until the final minutes of my trip as I played poker at The Motor City Casino listening to a Ford engineer discuss the door panel he helped design the beauty that is Detroit and the US Auto Industry.

All the pieces fell into place, for within the discussion of this Ford engineer I saw the very thing that makes America great, PRIDE IN A JOB WELL DONE.

His name was Mike, and although the chips in front of him continued to decline, his optimism never waned as he discussed the methods used in designing the inner door panel of the 2010 Taurus, and how it is gaining critical acclaim from critics in the industry due to the technology used to design and manufacture it.  Mike went as far as to compare it to the interior leader Audi.

And at no point did his pride in what he was a part of waver.

Suddenly the 2010 Ford Taurus, and in particular the SHO became a car I was interested in.  No, better than just interested in, the SHO became a car that I would seriously consider purchasing for myself.

Because what I saw in Mike the engineer was the very thing that made me proud to be American.  For in Mike I didn't see a man blaming others for the misfortunes of the industry, but rather someone willing to take his lumps but still be willing to do his job to the best of his ability.

Perhaps Mike is just a lone example lost in a sea of complacency - but I don't think he is the exception but rather the norm.  The UAW may represent everyone, but it is the UAW that created part of the problem to begin with, not the average worker on the line, but rather the management of the unions.

For if you like me ascribe to the concept of the 80-20 rule, and then the 80-20 rule again that means 96% of the people out there really aren't that smart.  If you believe that for a moment, that means only 4% of the population really has taken the time to question what is presented to them, and for the average factory worker sadly they fall within the larger 96% portion versus the 4% component of the workforce.  Sadly it is the 4% of the UAW that has killed the US manufacturing base, but it is the 96% who stand to suffer and lose the most.

I don't know what group Mike the engineer falls into - but what I saw from him that day in Detroit was exactly the opposite of the preconceived notion of what exactly a autoworker was in my mind.  And Mike in his speaking so highly of the job he had been a part of made me a fan again of the US Auto Industry.

And while you weren't there with me, it is the reason I appeal to you to at least give the US one more chance in allowing them to earn your business again.  Because if the factory floors and middle and upper management positions at Ford, GM and Chrysler are filled with more Mike's, it is my opinion that not only will the US industry recover, but it stands to become the envy of the world again.

Putting the USA back on top where it belongs - for it was the USA that created the Auto Industry, and I believe it is ours for taking if we want it back again.

Cars like the 2010 Taurus and Mustang, the new Camaro, the CTS from Cadillac and the Challenger.  Cars that we as Americans can be proud of.  Cars that are the start of a new US Auto Industry.

Will a 2010 Taurus SHO be parked in my garage in the not so distant future?  I don't know for sure, but it is certainly something I am taking a good hard look at if for no other reason than Mike the engineer, and his pride in being part of something great.

Will Detroit rise again?  I wish I could say for a fact yes, I can't say that.  But what I do know is that Detroit isn't going down without a fight - and cars like the 2010 Taurus are proof that the fight is going to be fought hard and with pride and dignity.

Maybe you and I can join the fight - I for one am pulling for Detroit to succeed, and I will be present at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit no matter how cold or snowy it ends up being.