[Shotimes] Plastic Hood Poll

[Ron Porter]

After seeing your post, seeing some of the responses to it, and finally
seeing the sales brochure on the Plus 212a package on the SHO Club site, I
do agree that the hood was not a part of the Plus package. OTOH, I see where
it's probably true that every Plus got the hood, but so did a LOT of other
SHOs, and since it's not listed as a part of the option group, it happened
to come along for the ride.

It appears that the only way to prove that you absolutely have a Plus is to
(1) have the original window sticker showing the option package, or (2) have
the Green color code on the car. The other "pretty" accurate way (although
these could be added by an owner) is to have the chrome trim around the
windows (tough, but not impossible, for someone to do) with the blackout
panels/mirrors and the body-color rear emblem and rub strips.

Since Ford has done a number of trim packages over the years, even to the
Taurus/Sable (black package w/wheels on the SHO in '90, white package with
white lace wheels on the Sable, as a couple of examples), it seems they did
it to get a little model spruced-up for the end of the model run in '91.
Especially when they show the all-white Plus in the brochure.

Why they ever did the hood is a bit of a mystery. Could be that they wanted
a bit of a different hood for the '91 SHO model run, and this plastic
laminate deal was cheaper than tooling up for a stamped steel hood (since it
was already obvious that the low-production SHO was already selling in lower
numbers than planned). Could be that the hood production process wasn't
working as well as they hoped, so not all cars got it (much like the
spoiler).

Wonder why they didn't toss in the Police grill with the Plus? We've always
felt it should have been on the SHO from Day 1, but it's surprising that the
grill, which was a part of the HD Cooling package, wasn't on the Taurus with
the most HD cooling setup?

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
[mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Scott G Littlefield
Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2002 8:12 AM
To: shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: [Shotimes] Plastic Hood Poll


I personally am not convinced the plastic hood is a part of the Plus
package.  I have had this discussion with Don and haven't been able to
convince him even though none of the Plus literature I have read
mentions the hood.  My Non-Plus car has the plastic hood and a build
date of 2/91.  I would like to find out if mine was an oddity or an
early installation.  If you have a 91 SHO, please respond with build
date or prodution number and w/ or w/o plastic hood.  I would like to
find out if the hood was a running change like the rod shifter.
Thanks, Scott.