The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company in the United States for model years (MY) 1986-2019. Introduced in late 1985 for the MY 1986, six generations were produced over 34 years, with a hiatus for MY 2006-2007. For MY 1986-2009, Ford marketed the Taurus alongside its rebadged variant, the Mercury Sable; four generations of the high-performance Ford Taurus SHO were manufactured. The Taurus also served as the basis for the first ever front-wheel-drive Lincoln Continental (1988–2002).
Mercury was a brand of mid-priced automobiles produced by American manufacturer Ford Motor Company between 1938 and 2011 with 1939 being the first model year. It stood as its own line within Ford until 1945, and thereafter formed half of Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division. The brand was created by Edsel Ford in 1938 to bridge the gap between the Ford and Lincoln model lines.
The Mercury Cougar is a series of automobiles that was sold by Mercury from 1967 to 2002. The model line is a diverse series of vehicles; though the Cougar nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various stages in its production, the model also was offered as a convertible and a hatchback. During its production as the mid-size Mercury line, the Cougar was also offered as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon.
The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company. Introduced for compact sedans in the 1978 model year, the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of configurations for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. In its original form, the platform was used through the 1993 model year; a substantial redesign of the Ford Mustang extended its life into the 21st century, ending production in 2004. Produced across 26 model years, the Fox platform is the second-longest car architecture ever designed by Ford Motor Company.
The Mercury Montego is a nameplate that was applied to three separate generations of vehicles marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. Taking its name from Montego Bay, Jamaica, the nameplate made its first appearance for 1967 in the Canadian market as part of the Mercury-derived Meteor model line. For 1968, the Mercury Montego made its debut across North America, becoming the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Torino intermediate-size model line for two generations.
The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced on December 26, 1985, as the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercury product range to front-wheel drive.
Chicago Assembly Plant is Ford Motor Company's oldest continuously operated automobile manufacturing plant. It is located at E. 130th Street and Torrence Avenue in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, US. As of 2023, Chicago Assembly Plant manufactures the sixth-generation Ford Explorer, the second-generation Lincoln Aviator, and the Police Interceptor Utility.
Sid Ramnarace is a Canadian-born American designer and strategist who has worked with the Ford Motor Company, in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, and has designed automobiles, furniture, jewelry, textiles, glassware, and home decor.
The Continental Mark series is a series of personal luxury cars that was produced by Ford Motor Company. The nomenclature came into use with the Continental Mark II for 1956, which was a successor to the Lincoln Continental of 1939–1948. Following the discontinuation of the Mark II, Ford continued the use of the Mark series on Continental-branded vehicles from 1958 to 1960.
The Ford DN5 platform is an automobile platform that was produced by Ford Motor Company. Serving as the front-wheel drive replacement for the mid-size sedans of the Ford Fox platform, the DN5 chassis was produced in its initial form for the 1986 to the 1995 model years.
Jeffrey William Teague was an American automotive designer and design consultant for Volkswagen, Ford Motor Company, Mitsubishi Motors, Hyundai Motor Group and Kia Motors — and known widely for his role as principal designer of the 1983-1992 Lincoln Mark VII.
New Edge was a design language used by Ford Motor Company for many of its passenger vehicles in the late 1990s and early 2000s and initially authored by Jack Telnack, who served as Vice President of Design for Ford from 1980 to 1997. Under Telnack's oversight, New Edge was implemented by other Ford designers, including Claude Lobo and Australian John Doughty.
Donald Eugene Petersen was an American businessman who was employed by the Ford Motor Company for 40 years, most notably as its chief executive officer from 1985 to 1990.
In the context of the automobile industry, downsizing is a practice used to transition vehicles from one size segment to another. Commenced during the Malaise era, downsizing is done in response to consumer and government demands influencing vehicle design. As vehicle product lines completed their model cycles, automobile manufacturers developed the next generation of a vehicle with a smaller exterior footprint to allow for weight reduction and increased fuel economy, using a shortened wheelbase and body length.
The first-generation Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable are automobiles produced by Ford as the first of six generations of the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. Launched on December 26, 1985, as a 1986 model, the front-wheel-drive Taurus was a very influential design that is credited with saving Ford from bankruptcy, bringing many innovations to the marketplace and starting the trend towards aerodynamic design for the American automakers in the North American market. Ford of Europe had launched the 1980s move to aerodynamic design for the company with the 1982 Ford Sierra.
The third-generation Ford Taurus is an automobile that was marketed by Ford from the 1996 to 1999 model years. While the chassis underpinnings were largely carried over, the redesign gave the Taurus its first complete exterior redesign since its 1986 introduction. Slotted between the compact Ford Contour and full-size Ford Crown Victoria, the third-generation Taurus was again offered as a four-door sedan and as a five-door station wagon, marketed alongside the Mercury Sable.
Douglas Fredrick Gaffka is an American automotive designer who is best known for his work as the chief designer for the Taurus and Sable vehicle programs in 1994 and the Mustang in 1999. Since April 2001, Gaffka has been the design director of Ford Motor Company's Living Legends vehicle program, in which he oversees the development of classic Ford nameplates, like the Thunderbird and Mustang, as well as new vehicle design.
The ninth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for the 1983 to 1988 model years. In response to the sales downturn of the 1980–1982 Thunderbird, the model line underwent one of its most substantial redesigns for the 1983 model year. While the Thunderbird remained as a personal luxury coupe, Ford transitioned its role, emphasizing performance and handling over outright luxury and comfort content. As a design leader for Ford, the ninth-generation Thunderbird marked the introduction of highly aerodynamic body design for Ford vehicles in North America, followed by the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO and Ford Tempo and the 1986 Ford Aerostar and Ford Taurus.
The eleventh generation of the Ford Thunderbird—a series of personal luxury cars—was produced between 2001 and 2005 by the American automaker Ford Motor Company. The Thunderbird debuted at the 1999 edition of the North American International Auto Show. Designed by Jack Telnack and manufactured in Wixom, Michigan, the car was available as both a convertible and a hardtop convertible. It is the indirect successor to the tenth generation of the Thunderbird, and 68,098 units were produced before its discontinuation in July 2005.
