9. Ford Taurus SHO
Back in the late `80s, Ford caused a revolution with the introduction of the Taurus model. This was the first truly modern American sedan that ditched heavy ladder-type chassis, big engines and went in a different direction with a sleek and aerodynamic body, new technology and front-wheel drive. The Taurus sold in volumes but for us, the most interesting is the famed SHO version. The SHO wasn`t a muscle car by any means since it was a family four-door sedan but it delivered a significant amount of power so it must be included in the list of the best American `80s performance cars.
The SHO (Super High Output) was a performance model in the Taurus lineup which featured Yamaha-sourced 3.0-liter high revving V6 with 220 hp. Today, this doesn’t sound much but for 1989 it was a pretty lofty figure and the performance was outstanding with just 6.7 seconds to 60 mph. On the outside, Taurus SHO looked like any other regular Taurus and only the badge on the back revealed its true nature.