Here are some shots of Ford's invigorated 2010 Taurus, caught testing in Detroit. This new Taurus is what the car should have been all along, according to Ford's CEO Alan Mulally. Although the car is very heavily camouflaged, the prototype definitely looks related to the camera phone shots of a purported Taurus clay model, which leaked earlier this year. We think we can see some differences on the front bumper—around the fog lights—suggesting that the finer points of the 2010 Taurus' design were still in flux at the time the photo was snapped inside Ford's Design Center.

We have seen photos two different prototypes—with single exhaust and dual exhaust. The dual exhaust set-up likely points to the Ecoboosted 3.5L V-6, which will produce 340-hp in the Lincoln MKS.

This is an update of their previous work using the Ford Five Hundred-cum-Taurus as a platform for a new generation of SHO vehicles. If the SHO does come around again, look for it to have twinforce power, which is Ford's attempt to create higher output, smaller displacement engines with turbocharging and direct injection. We'll take one in black. [Thanks to BringBackTheSHO for the renderings]

Some of you may have caught wind of something going on in the Chicago area recently.

Well, it has happened, and here is a quick review:

Some weeks ago I was contacted by a representative at Ford about an upcoming Focus group in Chicagoland about the next generation Taurus.

They wanted specific input and information from SHO enthusiasts.

I was asked to give them about a dozen names of people from the LOCAL area (there are good reasons for this I will go into later) for this focus group.

I was asked to keep it quiet till after the event and asked those that I contacted to do the same, and for the most part, that was accomplished. The one thread that was on SHOforum about this, was not anything specific, and didn't really cause any problems, but it was deleted just to be sure. So if you saw that and wondered what it was about, that is what happened.

Last night (Monday, 5th of May) a dozen SHO enthusiasts met at a hotel in Schaumburg for a 2+ hour focus group session. Here is what we did NOT see: We saw NO prototypes. we saw NO drawings, we saw NO parts of any new car, the entire session was video taped.

Here is what we DID see: A Chrysler 300, A dodge Charger and an Chevy Impala, all in the same shade of silver with all identifying marks taped over.

Here is what we did:

We sat at a table across from a very friendly and skilled interviewer that led a fairly free flowing exchange of information. We were asked about our own history with the SHO, we were asked about what we liked about the SHO, and didn't like, what made a SHO, a SHO, and also what we might like to see in any future SHO or Ford sedan. After a while, several representatives of the new Taurus program came into the room and we gathered around the cars assembled. When asked which one appealed to us, almost all said the Charger. This seemed to surprise the interviewer since we claimed "stealth" as one of the main factors attracting us to the SHO. But I think we answered that by several of us stating that although we can appreciate the Charger in that group of three, it is maybe too up front for what we would like to see in the SHO. Also, great styling need not be so "in your face" as the Charger.

The Ford staff assembled were given a chance to ask us specific questions about their individual area of expertise, as in wheels, seats, paint colors etc.

Then we were let loose on the assembled Ford people to just talk and mingle. In talking with one rep, he was floored that virtually every one of us put ROAD/ TRACK performance over straight line/drag performance. He had somehow gotten the opinion that the original SHO was all about the drags. Glad we caught that one. Drags are fun, but track days and overall handling is much more important.

Of course engines and drivelines were discussed, and here the group was less of a single mind, with likes running from 400+ hp twin turbo revvers, to 5.4L torque monsters with and without blowers! I commented that with $4 a gallon gas soon to be reality, maybe something in the 280-300 hp range with GREAT handling, style and quality and decent MPG would be relevant. I think most of us agreed that gimmicks were less desired over things like great brakes, suspension, gauges, seats (gen 1 and II style seats with bolsters were a big request) and a unique engine to the SHO at least in the Taurus/Sable line were high points and things like "I-Drive" GPS and other tech things were down on the list. Trying to keep weight down was also a big point with most people. Oddly, we left out a big desire of the previous early focus groups, a hand emergency brake. Maybe it isn't important anymore?

Man I can sympathize with anyone trying to create a new car these days...."Hey, give us luxury ride, Lotus handling, Ford GT performance, and OH, 40+ mpg, room for five and luggage, make it stand out, and be something police won't see....and under $30 grand would be great!" LOL

Some suggested maybe a two tier car with the "nice" version for more average buyers, and a lighter, lower content "performance" version for the gung ho, like most of us!

Most everyone wanted a car with "three pedals" but if an auto was part of it, steering wheel buttons or paddles are less important than a good shifter and proper programming for quick up and downshifts when called for, and maybe even blipping the throttle on manual downshifts.

The FWD, AWD, RWD question came up, and I think most wanted RWD, with AWD as the second option, but a few would be just as happy with FWD as in the past for safety and also cost.

Defeatable Stability/traction control was another big request, as was a factory accessory, modification parts program with actual performance parts, suspension parts etc available at dealers or through Ford, and included in the factory warranty.

Though no one is claiming that there is a direct connection between the two, Ford has apparently cancelled the "Take Your Child To Work Day" this year due to the leaks according to Brenda Priddy, spy photographer of the car stars. So our question is — why does Ford hate the children?

...a site with a big consumer side like Edmunds' Inside Line's able to just beat back those big bullies and take those "big" threats and file them in the "idle" category. Sadly, all we've got is Gizmodo. Not that they're anything to sneeze at, we're just sayin.' Anyway, we're just happy to have blazed the trail for the consumer car sales-lead giant because if there's one thing we can be sure of — that's definitely the 2010 Ford Taurus.

All of this begs to question — where did the Synergy go? At the time, Ford partnered with GM and Chrysler in a program called "The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicle." The threesome's aim was to deliver an 80 MPG four-passenger car. The program was funded and coordinated through the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), beginning its quest for the next big thing in 1993. During the course of the project, running cars were created by each automaker; the Ford Prodigy, the GM Precept, and the Chrysler ESX-3, all of which had astonishing fuel economy and the safety features necessary to maintain road worthiness

As early as 2000, the automakers began lobbying for the end of the program, after seeing substantial improvements in the areas of low friction material, powertrain hybridization, and fuel cells. In 2001 the program was canceled and the assets were shifted to the "FreedomCAR" program, which while still in existence, has much more nebulous goals and equally unclear time lines.
Considering the 2010 Ford Taurus we may or may not have seen earlier falls into the targeted range of model years for the PNGV program and it probably rests on some level of taxpayer funded research, we wonder if it will indeed safely seat four passengers and return 80 MPG. We're not holding our breath.

...TaurusClub's site have been taken down, along with the post. But what we do know are the rumors we'd heard to expect an all new design for 2010 and we've been told other sites 'round the net have received take-down notices for the photo. So is it the new Taurus? You be the judge. [TaurusClub via GMInsideNews]