If you’re a gearhead, you’ve likely heard talk about underappreciated and underrated cars. Cars that have a lot to offer in just about every key area, but still manage to somehow go unnoticed by most car enthusiasts.

Often, these cars are what’s commonly referred to as sleepers, meaning they look fairly ordinary on the outside, but those looks are deceiving. Under the hood, they’re packing something extraordinary, and once the lights turn green, you find yourself choking on their dust.

For decades, a great example of a factory sleeper has been the Ford Taurus SHO. Ford’s all-conquering mid-size sedan was offered in a performance version called the SHO, or Super High Output, with some impressive powertrains and more horsepower than you’d ever think was necessary in such a vehicle.

The final Taurus SHO has become a bargain nowadays, and you might just need one in your life. Let’s explore.

The Taurus SHO Was a Humble Sedan With a Lot of Grunt

According to Hagerty, the Taurus SHO began with the original Taurus that was introduced in 1989. The SHO looked practically identical to the regular Taurus on the outside, but it packed a masterpiece of an engine under the hood.

The 3.0-liter 24-valve V6 was engineered with the help of Yamaha, and it featured advanced stuff like a variable-length intake manifold. With 220 hp, it was faster than any mid-size sedan had any right to be.

Then, the SHO came back for the second generation Taurus, this time with a larger version of the same engine. The SHO even offered a Yamaha-engineered transverse V8 for the infamous third generation. Finally, in 2010, Ford decided to give the Taurus SHO formula a fresh start.

The Final Taurus SHO Was Easier on The Eyes

Launched in 2010, the last Taurus SHO was based on the final generation of the Taurus, itself a handsome and assertive full-size sedan with infinitely more presence than its predecessors.

In addition to being kinder on the eyes, the sixth-gen Taurus SHO also caused drivers to smile a lot. Yamaha wasn’t involved with this generation of the Taurus SHO, as Ford opted to go solo for the powertrain — and what a powertrain it was.

Under the hood of the sixth-gen SHO, there was a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, making it the first-ever Taurus SHO with forced induction. Ford claimed it produced 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, meaning the BMW 535i and other German sedans definitely had reason to be worried.

0-60 was dealt with in the low five-second range, which was impressive at the time, especially for a car seen as one of the darlings of fleet sales.

As well as being the first turbocharged Taurus SHO, it was also the first one to come standard with AWD, which meant more grip and vastly improved handling.

An American VR38

Okay, so the EcoBoost under the hood of the Taurus SHO wasn’t exactly America’s VR38 (the legendary engine used in the Nissan GT-R), but it did share one quality with the Nissan GT-R’s heart: tunability. As people on the Taurus SHO forums have explained, the sixth-gen Taurus SHO and its EcoBoost V6 can easily be pushed to produce well over 500 hp. That’s 500 hp to the wheels, not the crank.

According to them, Livernois Motorsports offer a few bolt-on mods that can push the Taurus SHO to 500 hp without needing to touch the turbos or internals.

Add all of that together, and you end up with what has to be one of the greatest sleepers on the road. Throw on some steel wheels for good measure, and no one will suspect a thing. If anything, they might think you’re a cop.

A Taurus SHO Really is A Complete Package

Don’t forget that, even though this is a serious performance sedan, at the end of the day, it’s a Ford Taurus. It’s decently equipped, offering some good hi-fi options and lots of creature comforts, there’s plenty of space in the back seats, and you could probably fit ten people’s luggage in the trunk even if it only seats five.

So, you’re probably exceptionally tempted right now. How much would it cost to get into Taurus SHO ownership? The answer is… barely anything! The interesting thing is that there are actually two ways to get behind the wheel of one, and they’re both affordable.

One way to do it is by getting lucky at a public auction and finding a Police Interceptor with the Taurus SHO powertrain. Yes, those exist, too, and one of those shouldn’t set you back more than a few grand.

The other way is, of course, a regular civilian Taurus SHO from the classifieds. One of those will set you back anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000, and that’s for some of the nicest ones.

It also doesn’t seem like the values of these things will be going up anytime soon, so if you really want to own one of the most unassuming factory sleepers, this should be in one of the top spots on your shortlist.