Jay Leno introduces us to a very rare car, the 1989 Ford Shogun, a modified version of the Festiva which was only sold in seven examples.
The famous auto enthusiast has owned the 1989 Ford Shogun, which features an N/A V6 engine developed by Ford with the aid of Yamaha, for 26 years.
In this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, the former talk show host tells the story of the mid-engine converted Ford Festiva. As Jay Leno explains, only seven of these were built by the team formed by Chuck Beck and Rick Titus, so the model he owns is remarkably rare.
Each of the seven cars was painted in a different color, and the SHOGun Festiva provided a 1/4 mile time of 12.9 seconds at a speed of 100.9 MPH (162 km/h).
At the time of launch, the Shogun was as expensive as a new Corvette, but the limited-edition model provided impressive performance above GM’s halo car. The car was tuned by Leno, and it includes a nitrous kit which adds a boost of 90 HP at the press of a button.
In his video review of the rare Ford Shogun, Leno talks about how satisfied he is with this model. He claims he only changed the oil and the battery on the Shogun over the 26-year period of ownership, aside from replacing the original tires and a set of brakes.
Apparently, Jay decided to showcase the Festiva turned Shogun after viewers kept asking him about the “gray car in the back of his garage.” So he made a video in which he tells the story of this incredibly rare build, and its story is fascinating. We kindly recommend you take the time to watch Jay’s video, featured below.
The Ford Shogun features a 3.0-liter V6 DOHC engine out of a Taurus SHO, and the unit is fitted in a mid-rear position. Jay Leno describes the vehicle as being like “a Renault R5 Turbo on steroids,” which means that this 2,190-lb (993-kilogram) car is a riot to drive.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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