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After a series of low-cost vehicles acquired under dubious circumstances, Conan O’Brien finally decided to treat himself to a new car—a Ford Taurus—after earning some money. Now, more than 30 years later, he’s still trying to persuade his longtime friend Lisa Kudrow that it’s a “fantastic” car. The reason for his enthusiasm? He actually bought a Taurus SHO, which truly is an impressive vehicle.
In this week’s episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, O’Brien and Kudrow looked back on his excitement when he revealed his new performance sedan to her, which she didn’t quite share. “You were so excited about the Ford Taurus, and I didn’t understand that,” Kudrow remarked. O’Brien responded with exuberance, saying, “It’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing!”
The reaction from a panel of non-car enthusiasts was predictably filled with laughter.
Kudrow, along with co-hosts Sona Movsesian (O’Brien’s assistant) and Matt Gourley (O’Brien’s producer), couldn’t help but burst out laughing at O’Brien’s insistence that his car wasn’t a dud.
“It’s a Ford Taurus on the outside, but it’s got an incredible engine and a stick shift,” O’Brien shared, recounting his efforts to convince Kudrow back then—and his co-hosts now. His new Taurus, whether it was a SHO or not, marked a significant upgrade from his previous cars, which included an ’80s Buick Opel by Isuzu and an early ’70s Plymouth Valiant. Notably, the backseat of the Buick/Isuzu might have had a questionable history (the truth remains uncertain), while the Valiant was rather plain.
O’Brien’s pride and joy was a dark green 1992 Taurus SHO, and he had it in his possession at least until 2020. This model year represented a design update, even though it retained the same generation engine. Beneath its hood was a Yamaha-manufactured V6 engine boasting 220 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque, paired with a Mazda-derived 5-speed manual transmission.
Ultimately, O’Brien lost the debate about the car’s merits. Kudrow initially misidentified the trim level as a GTO. O’Brien promptly corrected her, saying, “Not a GTO. S-H-O. Super High Output.”
“Oh, okay,” Kudrow acknowledged, capturing her character Phoebe’s essence.
Viewers of the segment expressed a mixture of sighs and laughter. Although critiques were present, many commenters supported Team Coco’s choice of vehicle. O’Brien himself acknowledged that despite the impressive specs of his high-performance Taurus, the manual transmission proved to be a challenge for him.
“When I bought it, I didn’t know how to drive stick,” O’Brien admitted.
When prompted about his decision to purchase a manual transmission car, O’Brien explained that they were more affordable. Kudrow responded knowledgeably, “Because that’s what men did. If you had a fast car, you didn’t get some wimpy automatic transmission.” O’Brien then humorously confessed, “I needed to have full control over every inch of my Taurus.”
Both perspectives have merit. Many people have learned to drive a stick shift only after acquiring a car, often to impress someone who may not have cared at all. One acquaintance experienced a similar situation where he awkwardly stalled his test drive but went ahead and bought an MX-5 Miata on the spot to look cool in front of his then-girlfriend. While stick shifts were often cheaper and more fuel-efficient in the past, the same cannot be said today.
A pattern persists: car enthusiasts continually try to convince non-enthusiasts that their seemingly ordinary commuter vehicle is anything but average because it’s the performance model. They’ll claim it’s a sleeper and insist that you just wait until you hear the cold start! “Oh, okay.”
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