Magazine article on 1991 Ford Taurus Cop Car with sedan photo an…

SIM/Elli SL'UIIP F UIEK'TEST 1991 Ford Taurus op (or ' uring the 10 days we had a _ ? Ford Taurus cop car, no one ~ ate a doughnut in it. So our impressions are sorely lacking-at least from a law enforcement per- spective. But it has a nice beverage holder. The Cop Taurus is our favorite new four-door sedan; a car each of us would own. Its got rubber oor mats, seats that dont do anything without occupant-power, manual door locks, and steel wheels hid- den behind cluntzy plastic covers that look like leftovers from the Lost In Space props department. The Cop Taurus was a refreshing change from over-gizmoed new cars, reminding us of cars from the Sixties. To our the-bestwere built-before-72" mentality, thats an extremely high compliment. The Cop Taurus starts as a 3.8- liter V-6~powered, low-line Taurus Lthe Taurus public utility eets prefer most. To turn it into a cop car, Ford adds a 130 amp alterna- tor, police-level cooling with a special slotted grille, an engine oil cooler. a quasi-dual exhaust sys- tem, steel fuel lines, a certied l40-mph speedometer, a power steering cooler, a 3.37:1 axle ratio. a transaxle cooler, P215/70HRI4 General XPZOOOH tires (as wide as the linchers on the SHO), four- wheel ABS disc brakes, deletes the underhood insulation, and strengthens the rear crossmember and suspension brackets. The re sult is 15 more horsepower (155). and better handling than the SEC. The quick steering is perfectly weighted, the car remains neutral even as the body teeters around comers, and the extra power is perfectly placed in the powerband. This isnt a monster-motored cruis- er, but its tough to outrun a Mo- torola radio anyhow. There are nits to pickand Los- ee improved its looks instantly when he pulled off the wheel cox- ers to make it look more cop" but the biggest is that youll have to hunt for a Ford dealer that has one in stock or knows how to or- der one. But this Taurus has char- acter, and is the Taurus every Taurus should be.