Aluminum Body SHO

[kudude]

A friend of mine worked for a company in the early 90's that made aluminum SHO's. I guess they only produced about 20 or so cars. Wheels painted the same color as the body. I'm getting as much info as possible. Sounds like fenders, door skins, and trunk were aluminum. I get back with more info as possible.

I think I would just leave my car bare aluminum. HEHEHHEHE!!!!

AL

 

[SeanMc]

Yep, and they were beating everything on the track that they raced against. I saw this in an issue of the SHO Registry.

 

[GoofSHO]

PM Jedhead....He knows.

B

 

[ghostrider]

They weren't SHOs, I thought they were just regular Taurii, Sables actually. AIV was the "model" name. Aluminum Intensive Vehicles. Google it, and you will find a bunch of info. Kinda neat.

 

[ohioshodude]

http://transtech.anl.gov/v3n2/aluminum-intensive.html

 

[PROPHET]

News to me, now one of those I'd love to have.

Gotta love aluminum, can hold beer and yamaha motor.

 

[mrecoolgar]

Thanks for sharing.
I never knew.

 

[SolidState]

there was a few alcan sable SHOs running around up here as AIV test mules....

 

[SinisterSHO]

The Multimatic race cars were Alcoa aluminum bodies.
http://www.multimaticmotorsports.com/mustang/history.html
I think thats the right place, they used to have some pics.

 

[Shoaz]

I think the Multimatic Firehawk cars were steel, but the car they sent to the One Lap was aluminum. IIRC that was the same year that Gary Morrell took his 89 SHO on the One Lap and he either protested or considered protesting "that beer can" because of it's weight advantage and since it was in the same class that he was (again, IIRC, he could chime in).

 

[jedhead]

Mutilmatic was contract to make doors for the AIV Sable. I saw one a few years ago at the LA Auto Show. They installed a hybrid engine in it. I asked what they were going to do with the car once they were done because I wanted to buy it (thoughts of a 2800lbs SHO that was not stripped). I was sadly informed that they were required to return the Sable back to Ford so it can be crushed.

Bob

 

[kudude]

I don't have any news at this point but I am trying to find out where the dies are now located or if they still exist.

AL

 

[silversho89]

Its ashame that you couldn't use the same dies that they used for the steel bodied cars, then we could just make our own and not have to find the dies meant for aluminum.

Rob

 

[kudude]

I wish it was that easy,(using the steel dies). I work for GM metal fab and its never easy going from steel to aluminum panels. When being formed there are a number of issues that can occur, wrinkles, splits.

I want aluminum body panels!!!!!!

 

[MilTownSHO]

They weren't SHOs, I thought they were just regular Taurii, Sables actually. AIV was the "model" name. Aluminum Intensive Vehicles. Google it, and you will find a bunch of info. Kinda neat.

But with SHO powertrains

 

[ghostrider]

But with SHO powertrains

Some of them yes. Not all had SHO power plants. A few were made with gas/electric motors.

 

[jedhead]

All came from Ford with SHO ATX powerplants. Once the cars were loaned to universities and test labs, that is when the hybrid engines and other power plants were installed. The one I wanted to buy from UCSB originally had the 3.2l SHO engine and ATX.

Bob

 

[blacklabel]

I googled aluminum sho and I came across this http://v8sho.com/SHO/AllAluminumSHO.htm. I quickly glanced at it. I thought I would share what I found.

 

[gmorrell]

I think the Multimatic Firehawk cars were steel, but the car they sent to the One Lap was aluminum. IIRC that was the same year that Gary Morrell took his 89 SHO on the One Lap and he either protested or considered protesting "that beer can" because of it's weight advantage and since it was in the same class that he was (again, IIRC, he could chime in).

The Firehawk SHO's were steel production bodies, pesky production class rules and all that...

Multimatic was a sub-contractor for the AIV project, which was a test bed for making Aluminum panels and evaluating assembly and bonding techniques for Aluminum, which has some fairly unique issues when it comes to fatigue and joining parts together. Honda/Acura has made some real strides in Aluminum unit chassis manufacturing with the NSX and Insight hybrid.

The CEO of Multimatic (Larry Holt) is a certified car nut, and IIRC, he convinced Ford to allow his boys to borrow one of the AIV Sable chassis, SHOise it, and enter it in One Lap, presumably to add some rigor to the AIV chassis evaluation. The car was driven by Scott Maxwell, one of MM's hired hot shoes, and a very talented road racer. It was entered as a 1994 Mercury Sable, not a SHO.

Eric, I don't recall even considering protesting the AIV Sable/SHO, perhaps some of the other entrants in mid-priced sedan raised a stink? There was some general question about its legality, seeing as how no one else in the class could go purchase one at the dealer. Brock Yates made some sort of proclamation about its legality; I can't for the life of me remember what it was, but it stayed in mid-priced sedan and ran away with the class.

The AIV Sable/SHO placed 15th overall out of about 85 entrants, first in class (mid-priced sedan), with the rest of us plebian SHO's running in the mid-50's placing for overall finish.

It's right at the head of the line in this picture:

 

[adidas_kn]

Dang! Somebody needs to get some fiberglass, carbon fiber or aluminum doors made to reduce weight in our cars. I wonder why they never went ahead and produced these? It would be nice if some of them were still around somewhere and able to be purchased. Imagine an Quaifed MTX with blower and a bunch of suspension mods. Heck you could even use the stock 95 brakes on that since it would be soo light. Also swap on a track carbon fiber hood and trunk. Wow! That would be great!