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Matt Wilder's 1990 SHO
FordMuscle was introduced to Matt Wilder, a resident of Nevada,
through an inquiry he made to the magazine last month. We
were happy he made the effort because it might have taken
us even longer to recognize the attention Ford enthusiasts
are giving the SHO. We were particularly impressed by the
fact that at 21 years old, Matt was fond of the performance
twisted Taurus. When he informed us that he was making the
5000 mile round trip to this summer's National SHO convention,
we wanted to learn more. Pleased to discover that he was performing
nearly all the modifications to the car himself, we asked
him a few questions regarding his motivation for going with
the SHO.
Q: What turned you on to the Taurus SHO?
A: Back in the winter of 2002 I was looking for a
daily driver so my Mustang [1970 Fastback] could take a break
for the winter. I had remembered my uncle mentioning a "Hot
Rod Taurus" back in the 90's, so I looked them up online.
To my amazement, the earlier SHO's were incredibly cheap,
and just as cheap to insure. I had to have one. My buddy's
dad from across the street informed me of a SHO he saw for
sale in town, so I went to check it out. I got a test ride
in it because at that time I didn't know how to drive a manual.
When I felt the secondaries for the first time, I knew this
car would be in my driveway that afternoon. I picked it up
for $1100. My dad threw me the keys and said... "I'll
see ya at home." Like I mentioned before, I had never
driven a manual car. So I tried it and made it home without
stalling it once. I had that SHO for around 4 months. Unfortunately,
I totaled it just as I was getting the hang of driving it.
After the wreck, I was having SHO withdrawals. Seriously.
I sold off some of my stuff and picked up my current SHO from
Denver, and have been messing with it ever since.
Q: How do people react to the car?
A: Well it all depends on who it is. For example,
when I showed you guys the car, you were interested in what
has been done, the history behind it, etc. Same applies when
I show it to other SHO people. On the street, where almost
no one knows what it is, they just think someone modified
a Taurus. For example, whenever I hit a light with an import,
occasional Mustang GT, WRX, etc. I always see them snickering
at my car. When the light goes green, that all changes. At
the next light neither the driver or passenger will look over
at me, and they're definitely not laughing anymore. I think
they are deep in thought, wondering how in the world their
new Mustang just lost to a 15 year old Taurus.
Q: Where do you research new ideas for the car?
A: Well in the beginning, I would check out all of
the SHO parts supplier's web sites like www.shonutperformance.com
and www.shoshop.com
to get basic ideas on what I could do to the car. Then I found
www.shoforum.com. I
post a lot over there and have learned almost all I know about
SHO's from that site. Whenever something new or
innovative is designed for the SHO, that's the first place
it shows up.
Q: What are your future goals for the car?
A: I'm pretty much done with it, unless I find a great
deal on a direct port nitrous kit. That would be fun.
Let's take a closer look at some of the modifications Matt
has made to his SHO.
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The
Heart of the SHO
