Ford · 1985–present

Ford Taurus 1st generation

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. Development for the first-generation Taurus started in the early 1980s to replace the Ford LTD, at the cost of 3 billion dollars, with a team led by the vice president in charge of car development Lewis Veraldi dubbed "Team Taurus." Ford was suffering from a lackluster product line from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, and then-chairman Philip Caldwell staked much of the finances and future of the company on Veraldi and his team's success, giving them unprecedented leeway in developing what would become the Taurus. The Taurus' development employed a strategy of teamwork and customer communication that would prove very influential for the automotive industry, as it consolidated all of Ford's designers, engineers, and marketing staff into a group who worked on the car collectively. The Taurus' development was initially kept very secret by Ford, and not much was revealed about the final Taurus until it was unveiled in 1985. After its release, the Taurus became a strong seller, as over 200,000 would be sold in the 1986 model year, and over a million were sold by 1989. This generation of Taurus garnered additional sales by its two variants: a Mercury version entitled the Sable, and a high-performance version entitled the SHO, and its engine and drivetrain would be used on the 1988 Lincoln Continental. This generation of Taurus continued with only minor changes until it was replaced in 1991 by the second-generation Ford Taurus. When production ended in 1991, more than 2,000,000 first-generation Tauruses had been sold.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Ford LTD · Successor: Ford Taurus 2nd generation

All Ford Taurus data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

Specifications

name

Ford Taurus (first generation)

Manufacturer

Ford

Production

October 1985– July 1991

Assembly

Atlanta Assembly, Hapeville, Georgia, United States, Chicago Assembly, Chicago, Illinois, United States

Designer

Jack Telnack (design chief: 1980–84), Ray Everts (sedan exterior: 1982), Jeff Teague (wagon exterior: 1982)

Class

Mid-size car

Body style

4-door sedan, 5-door station wagon

Layout

FF Layout

Platform

Ford DN5 platform

Related

Mercury Sable, Ford Taurus SHO, Lincoln Continental

Engine

2.5 L HSC I4, 3.0 L Vulcan V6, 3.8 L Essex V6

Transmission

3-speed ATX automatic, 4-speed AXOD automatic, 4-speed AXOD-E automatic, 5-speed MTX manual

Wheelbase

106.0 in

Length

188.4 in, Station wagon: 191.9 in

Width

70.8 in

Height

Sedan: 54.3 in, Wagon: 55.1 in

Kerb weight

3050 lb

Predecessor

Ford LTD

Successor

Ford Taurus (second generation)

Model years

1986–1991

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5467945CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Taurus_(first_generation)CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1375299271 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1st_Ford_Taurus_GL_sedan.jpgPublic domain · Photo: IFCAR · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

More from Ford