[Shotimes] 10 observations from the 1986 Taurus brochure

[van Oss]

Just picked up a 1986 Ford Taurus brochure on eBay.  40 pages.  As a
publication, what an extravagence!

10.  I've seen a lot of sad, old, rusted-out Gen1 Tauri.  It's kinda nice to
see their baby pictures.  :-)

9.  Generations are partly arbitrary.  Our notion of Taurus generations
could have been:  Gen1=86-89, Gen2=90-91.5, Gen3=92-95, and so on.

8.  When you compare this with the 1985 brochures from the Big Three, it's
easy to understand why the Taurus caused such a splash.  Well, that was
then.

7.  The MT5 was presented as "a taste of performance,"  a "perfect blend of
driving fun," and a "capable performer."  Can a double positive be a
negative?  "Yeah, right."

6.  There's a two-page spread on the MT5 Wagon.  In late 1985, just exactly
how many wagons could you buy with an MTX?

5.  Ford seems to have thought that in late 85 / early 86, the secondary sun
visor was innovative.  True?

4.  Page 33 actually shows a listing for a 2.5L automatic.  Anybody ever
seen one of those?

3.  The Insta-Clear heated windshield on the 86 Taurus?  Baby, that sure did
not last long!

2.  Pages 4-5 and 6-7 are two-page spreads in silver, then blue.  They must
have thought that just the body shape was the draw.

1.  "An automobile that evolved from a new way of thinking."  In retrospect,
this brochure is SO transparent!

Joseph van Oss