Robocop's 1986 Ford Taurus

When I saw Robocop in the theater in 1987, I was mesmerized by the futuristic car in the movie. No, I'm not talking about the 6000 SUX. Rather, I loved the matte black Ford Taurus that made up the Detroit P.D. fleet.


The movie takes place in the future, in the year 2000. Crime is out of control and private corporations have started to handle traditionally public sector work such as policing. And the police car of choice was the beat-up Ford Taurus.


The LX version was used in the movie. It had a 3 liter OHV V6 with a four speed automatic with overdrive. It had 140 horsepower and 160 pound-feet of torque. This car looked futuristic and was well received by the automotive press when it was released. It won Motor Trend Car of the Year in 1986 and was on Car & Driver's Top Ten List. A number of innovative designs made it look ahead of its time, including flush aerodynamic composite headlights, a grill-less front, doors that flowed up into the roof, and door handles that were flush with the doors. On top of that, the Taurus handled well and was relatively fuel efficient.

If Ford can make as bold of a statement today as they did with the first generation Taurus, it would not only turn Ford around, but the crime rate in Detroit as well.

CKY