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Oscars Host Conan O’Brien Still Rocks a 1992 Ford Taurus SHO That He Bought New
“In its day, this was quite a sexy car, do you believe that?” says Conan O’Brien to 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft during a segment on an episode from 2010. Kroft’s response? “No.”
But we automotive enthusiasts know better, and we can’t help but have a big heap of respect for O’Brien’s 1992 Ford Taurus SHO. O’Brien just finished hosting the 2025 Oscars, the academy award show that determines, at least for Hollywood’s prim and proper side, which movies, actors, actresses, composers, and many others get recognized for their superb work over the previous year.
Anora may have taken home the Oscar for Best Picture, but if there were an award for “Best Wheels,” that one might go to Conan. O’Brien bought the car back in 1992 when he was just getting started as a writer for The Simpsons. In the clip below from 2019, we learn that it’s a manual-equipped model, which makes it even cooler in our eyes. O’Brien even mentions that it was once driven by Brad Pitt during a skit on the late-night show that Conan used to host. (The balding tires? A little less cool.) As of a few months ago, O’Brien still owned the Taurus; we’re hoping he never lets it go.
We have a total soft spot for celebrities who hold on to cars that are a little more pedestrian than we might expect them to be driving. Doubly so if the car in question is also one of those bits of automotive esoterica, the sort of ride that can slink by totally under the radar to all but the most savvy of car nuts. The second-gen Taurus SHO debuted in 1992, retaining the Yamaha-designed 3.0-liter V-6 and the five-speed manual transmission from the previous 1989–91 first-gen car. Relative to the more pedestrian versions of the car, the Taurus SHO was a veritable rocket ship, boasting 220 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque.
Conan, if you’re reading this, our Hagerty Valuation data says a #3 (Good) condition 1992 Taurus SHO is currently worth $7400. If you want to ensure that this prized possession is properly covered against everything from questionable anti-aging substances to shady wizards whose backstories may not be all they’re cracked up to be, we’d be happy to consider it!
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Well he has not worked much lately. LOL!
My dad and I have a love-hate relationship with these. He hates them because 1. they are Fords and 2. because he got beat by one in highschool because his dad’s Malibu didn’t hook. I hate them because I don’t have one in my driveway right now. He loves them because they are like the Scat Pack Charger of their time, I love them because Yamaha.
I’m amused that he still has the SHO. Good for him. I’ll take it if he needs a little cash.
Pretty cool. I read that recently his folks died three days apart. They sounded like very interesting and smart people. An epidemiologist and a lawyer. They raised a pretty intelligent child also. Lives well-lived.
Didn’t the Taurus SHO have Yamaha V8 not a V6?
Well it had both, if you want to get into the weeds about it.
That was the 3rd Gen in 98′, had a 3.4 liter yamaha V8
I’m more of a fan of the 2010 generation. A little bigger, and more powerful. The weak link in that driveline is the PTU(?) whereby the fluid capacity is very small, and some years access and lack of factory drain/fill plugs makes the necessary servicing a PITA. Still a cool car across the years, as long as you do your pre purchase research.
Does Conan still have his 69 Shelby ?