I was walking back to the car while running errands this afternoon, when I saw this purple, ahem, I mean Rose Mist, 1996-97 Taurus GL parked next to my wagon.
If the far-out styling was not enough for you, you could order it in this wild color. It is certainly different!
Is it just me, or did Ford seem to go a little further “out there” when it came to colors in the 1990s. I remember a couple of those chameleon colors that were offered on certain models.
My dark cranberry 93 Crown Vic is a mite purple for my taste, but this one is over the top. There are very few cars that I would disqualify based solely on color, but this might have to be one of them. Although if you are young enough that a camp factor has some value to you, maybe this could be your car.
Worse yet, these fugly Rose Mist rigs seem to have survived in numbers way out of proportion to initial sales.
Park it next to a Desert Coral Probe and you’ve achieved the dyad of dislike.
Call me crazy I like it. A Town Car recently sold on eBay in that hue and although it was a bit “PIMPTASTIC” even in stock form I liked it.
Pimptastic, spot on, all it needs is a set of curbfeelers and we’re there!
What was The Blue Green Color they had like this>?
My favorite is the 96 Cobra Mustang…RX8s of the past too.
When I purchased my ’95 T-Bird, the dealer had one sitting next to it in this color, same options, etc. They offered it for $1000 less… guess they couldn’t give these cars away. The reason why they survive in seemingly good numbers today? I’d suppose the older folks picked these up for good deals at the ‘year-end’ & leftover sales, and like most elderly owned cars they werent driven all that much.
But props to Ford for at least trying to introduce some color back into a monochrome market where the vast majority of vehicles on the road make up a sea of *boring* ol’ white, silver, grey and black. (Interior colors today are even more depressing) Not too long ago, I saw a metallic brown Ford Fusion, and I gotta admit it looked pretty sharp. Especially when parked next to the ubiquitous dark grey Honda Accord.
Ok Dan, you’re crazy. The colors were the least inviting aspect of Ford products during this period. I’m almost colorblind and some of these still sear my retinas. In fact, I think they may have started the malady along with some Guam bombs that i saw.
We should all remember that if nobody had bought them they wouldn’t still be around. I am starting to suspect that I may be out of touch. I realize many of you already knew that, however, this article gives me a faint stirring of pride.
Nah Ford had a metalic pinkish sort of color (much less purple) that they put on many Escort GTs. I always blamed that color as the reason that Escort GTs had such highly female ownership rates. 😛
were Those Strawberry Metallic … It Almost passed for RED Candy metallic until the sunlight hit it, It must have had a BLUE>PURPLE Metallic particles to be that pinkish raspberry RED as it looked to me. Thats My Opinion anyway.
That color had almost every hue imaginable in it, including gold and (a very small amount of) blue. It was a pain in the a$$ to mix.
Ha, I’ve always liked these in a tacky way, along with the (slightly darker) purple Escorts sold around the same time. The mid-late 90s seemed to be a good time for purple/aqua/pink/blue – I seem to recall a lot of colorful Neons, and the Plymouth Breeze was sold in a violet-ish shade just like this Taurus. I think It goes with the wacky ovid theme quite well, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Not sure I’d actually want one, but kudos to them for mixing it up. Even if it’s a bit much… better than beige, right?
Ha! Back in the early 80’s Ford had a beige I called “Fleshtone”. That one was truly wretched.
yes The Escort In Violet Metallic was the color I liked Best, but on a car I would Never pick.
The Amythyst Purple On The Breeze was Cool,
But The Neon Magenta AND TEAL was Horribly Cheap Looking From NEW…
This Was like Mauve glow – I Liked it on a Loaded T-bird.
Back then we’d give the colors our own names, like Gang Green or Frankly Scarlet.
I won’t even go into the unofficial nickname for the 1970s Mopar hot purple color…
IMO, these colors sucked big time and still suck 15 years later…
However, I could never understand the universal hatred the automotive press – and to a lesser degree, the general public – had for this generation of Taurus. Personally, I really liked the oval rear window, the sloping decklid and the taillight treatment that was reminiscent of the last RX-7. I mean really, how radical was this? The rest of the car is as generic as anything else Ford built during the 90s. They also gave us an alternative rectangular window on the Mercury Sable and it looked horrific, so what was the big deal here? I’ve always had something of a soft spot for them since they instantly achieved widespread ugly duckling status… unfortunately, the mechanicals underneath aren’t really all that endearing.
I always like the styling of these, and think of them as “the happy turtle faced taurus”. Kind of amazed me so many people hated them… Naturally, I think they look best in green.
Wow, “happy turtle face” — that’s perfect! I’ll be thinking that when I see these from now on, thanks! LOL
Teenage Mutant Ninja Taurus?
The styling of this breed of Taurii has started to grow on me.
Yeah, I always kind of liked the design of these. At least Ford was trying to push the edge, after the mistake of the 2nd gen. Taurus (remember the commercials where they showed 1st gen morphing into 2nd gen, to show that it really was different?).
Unfortunately, the slope of the roof severely compromised rear-seat room, and the slope of the trunk did the same to trunk space, negating the advantages of a family sedan. The result of the public reaction to the design and the lack of utility was the ultimate Hertzmobile Taurus in 2000. I’m sure that one only sold to rental companies, corporate fleets, and employees.
I think you’re right about that last part… in fact, AFAIK they kept building it solely for fleet sales long after they stopped appearing in Ford showrooms. As much as the ovoid Taurus was hated and dragged through the mud, it still sold moderately well. The whitebread replacement inspired a total lack of reaction whatsoever and was a complete sales bomb – except possibly the first few years while it was still riding the magic Taurus name equity that had existed since it’s introduction. The entire life of the model name is a sad study in how Detroit only progresses according to completely backwards, purely reactionary logic – and an indication that American cars may ultimately be doomed to something much less than they once were.
The wagon didn’t have those problems, and it was extremely cool looking. 🙂
The reason for the hatred was that it was too radical for traditional Taurus buyers at the time. They were trying to out-Taurus the original Taurus with the oval on oval theme.
Ford killed most of the equity they had in the Taurus brand with this one. This iteration only lasted 3 years.
That said, they have grown on me over time. The SHO versions are a performance bargain too.
I actually rather like purple and have contemplated a car in a shade of purple, but not just any shade, but more of a “true” purple though (I think it’s akin to eggplant [aubergine] but perhaps not quite that dark though).
That said, I love the pastel colors that permeated the 1950’s probably best along with the turquoise/jade green/blue colors and of course, sky blue (non metallic of course) and yellow, though I think the softer buttercup type of yellows tend to do best but I’ll take yellow even if a bit intense a shade like what’s offered on the Fiat 500 or similar.
I’m in agreement that there is WAY too much gray, silver, beige, black and of course, white and white the least as it tends to take even a very sporty car and reduce it to a plain jane mobile. it just does not add a thing to the car’s looks.
i never liked White cars either until I Drove one. My 89 Mustang GT did not have the best brakes, So I was glad People could clearly SEE as well as HEAR me coming.
I Want a choice of 20+ colors like what was offered in the old days.
I Like Heather Firemist Too. Lido Lavender on Buicks – Which looks like Pink -Also offered that year
Ah, yes, the purple Taurus. I have driven many, many Taurii of this generation (all fleet vehicles, except one). However, the first one was this shade of purple. It brings back memories of simpler, more youthful times.
I’m not much on Taurii, likely because I had an ’01 that was a pooch among pooches. However, they are a lot like an old work horse: They consumed a bit too much food, they weren’t real pretty, and they would never break any speed records, but they could take a beating and still get you home at night.
I understand dealers want to stock the colors people want, so they can get quick turnover, but why does everyone seem to want gray, silver, black, and white these days? I consider myself lucky that when I bought my present Mazda, the dealer had one in stock with the right equipment, and in blue (!).
I’m evidently one of the few here that also happen to like the chameleon colors.
I used to work for a repo outfit that handled Ford Motor Credit & saw some really nice combos on the Town Cars, T-birds & Tauruses. I heard from someone in one of the Ford’s service department that if one of these special paint vehicles had body damage, they’d have to repaint the whole car because they could never match the paint up — ouch.
Plus, Ford still offered a green, blue, and dark red interior in these vehicles way up into the 90’s. It was a nice departure from what most other makes (hello GM) offered: 2 shades of gray or BEIGE.
GM did offer the “blue/green Chamelion” color on their F-cars in the mid-nineties though — it’s a very nice color & few of these cars have survived.
In defense of the Taurus’ wonky styling, I have to admit I admire Ford for doing up the instrument panel in a similar fashion. From memory I recall a huge oval blob in the center housing the radio & HVAC controls…it mimicked the rear window. Oh, BTW, I robbed the below pic from taurusclub.com.
No one could ever sell me on the chameleon colors, but I’m with you on the ovoid instrument panel. Always thought that was a nice touch… didn’t work as well when they re-used the same idea on the Focus later on, IMO. Also, that was kinda like a big “eff you” to anyone who wanted to upgrade their factory stereo! What size is this? 3.14156789 DIN?
I also do agree on the interior colors. Some of the stranger options actually managed to look nice. My brother has a Grand Marquis that is mint green inside and out – sounds totally ridiculous but looks great, I’ve never seen another like it.
Your comments about the FU & DIN size are hilarious 😛
During this vintage GM still had red, blue, green and what not interiors. I remember selling 1995-1996 vintage Pontiacs with blue-green colored interiors, plus there was a crazy bright red and bright aqua interior available on the Sunfire. The Trand Am still offred a red leather interior through 1996-97 too.
This was a tough to sell interior color……
At least red leather interiors are coming back in Dodges! Hurrah!
+1
Holy crap…what a color!
I thought the last green interior GM offered was that “jadestone” color back in the mid eighties. Remember that color? It was very nice — I always thought the 2-door Regal Limiteds looked great in the jade/jadestone color combo.
And I should have remembered a few 4th gen TransAms had the optional red leather. The earlier 4th gen Camaros offered “flame red” cloth interior also….not many of those left either. It sure beats the awful light gray, charcoal, or beige though.
The ’97 30th Anniversary Camaro offered white leather interior which was nice: my friend bought one of these & couldn’t make the payments on it. I at the time had a very nice Polo Green ’95 6-speed Z28 with diarrhea leather interior. He knew I loved white interior so he said if I gave him $200, I could trade interiors with him.
So one Saturday I had the only Polo Green Z with white leather interior & he had the only ’97 white 30th anniversary Camaro with orange stripes & beige leather interior. I wish I had kept that car — it was beautiful.
This must be why today we have such a lack of variety in interior colors… Designers used to go wild with interiors like this and the company got burned…
The combined radio/hvac control panel was designed by ergonomic experts and was the result of a lot of study (and flopped, much like the Edsel, heh). The most-used controls were situated closer to the driver.
This panel brought new levels of frustration to aftermarket stereo makers, installers and customers alike, topping GM’s earlier decision to split out the radio and tape player (in non-DIN sizes) in the redesigned 1988 C/K pickups.
The tan leather interior on the SHO of that vintage was phenomenal. My parents had a ’96 SHO with the tan leather and to this day, they are the most supportive and comfortable vehicle seats I’ve been in. It’s also one of the most handsome interiors I’ve ever seen, ovoid JBL controls and all.
To me, my 99 Green Intrepid looks Pretty much like a Chrysler reaction to how this was received.
I Like The intrepid better than this or The Lumina of the time. That is not saying much however.
AND BTW _- I always have wanted a Blue SkyBird 77-78 Firebird Espirit… would love to see more on Your car sometime. I’m sure I’m not the only 1 who wanted one of these when it was new so badly it hurt.
Ahh, thanks…if that were only my car. I do have a weird ’78 Skybird (231 V6/3-speed manual!) but it’s rotting in a field 600 miles away — I hope I can drag it up here before some methhead scrapper steals it. I didn’t realize there were Skybird fans here who-hoo! I will have to say that it and the 1973 Grand Prix are my all time favorite cars. Maybe one day I’ll find a Redbird and a Yellowbird…
My first car was a rusty light blue ’78 Firebird Esprit. It was one of the auction cars my dad couldn’t unload when he was in his used-car-lot phase. The car came from Illinois and had about 80K on it when I took out a mailbox with my RR quarter panel. The interior was still very nice but the body was rusty & now the rear quarter was bashed in.
Some kid (?) smashed out its windows and the windows of the building it was parked in which sealed its fate. So I searched around & found this really funky light blue engineless ’77 Firebird sitting in front of a junkyard out in the middle of nowhere. I fell in love with the color and $400 later it was mine. At the time, I did not know what a Skybird was…and this car lost its decals somewhere along the line so I didn’t know what I had until it was gone.
I had never done any real work on a car before but some local guys that knew me at the scrapyard said they’d help…so with the aid of a backhoe, we pulled the 305-2bbl engine & trans out of my rusted Esprit & put it into my “new” ’77. My ’77 had a missing passenger side window which happended to be the only window left in my old car so it all worked out.
The ’77 was a 301-2bbl car with few options…it was an experience…learning that going from Pontiac engine to Chevy engine means everything switches sides…the charcoal canister, the fuel lines…it was crazy. Not to mention the car rolling off the tire rims, pinning one of the men underneath the car.. We had to unhook the chain from the engine, squishing him further, hook it to the front crossmember to lift the car off of him. He said he thinks it broke a few ribs but he never went to the emergency room (couldn’t afford to). He has since passed away but he was tough as nails.
But anyway, I ended up using my power window/lock doors…not realizing at first how much drilling & finagling was required.
I was so proud of my multi-toned Skybird mashup but it never was very reliable. My father was disgusted with me in general & he displayed it by threatening to crush the Firebird if I didn’t get the “Pile of Sh..” off his property. So out of fear I sold it to this guy I knew…he only had $125 but it was better than seeing my dad destroy it..which he would have done.
The guy I sold it to got it running a little better & immediately sold it to this genious who immediately spray bombed it flat black, snowflake wheels, emblems, chrome trim and all. He didn’t even mask off the taillights. When I was working at the scrapyard I’d see the car go by & it made me want to blow chunks. The next time I saw it “genious” had gotten pulled over in front of the scrapyard by the police for something.
The NEXT time I saw the car someone else was hauling it across the scale at our scrapyard minus drivetrain. I had to pick up my car off the guy’s trailer with the crane…I put it off to the side & salvaged the remainder. We then crushed it & hauled it off to Shredders in Birmingham. I still have the seats, dashpad, & other odds and ends out in the shop.
Purple (call it what you will) was popular for several years in the 1990’s and early 2000’s – witness the purple PT Cruisers. Although I liked the color on some cars and thought seriously about buying a PT, wifey cautioned me that I would get tired of the color very fast. She was right. I kept the Ford Ranger until I bought my 2004 Impala.
For the record, I hated the “symphony of ovals” Taurus. The damage-control redesign wasn’t much better…
I keep hoping for a return of my avatar’s Goldwood Yellow – and a suitable car to wear it.
Me, Mr. Super Quiet and Conservative, thought that Ford had some of the best colors in the mid-late 1990’s, so much so that I still have the names of most of them memorized.
Deep Jewel Green, Medium Willow Green, Light Willow Green, Pacific Green, Light Cypress Green, Spruce Green, Light Evergreen Frost.
Moonlight Blue Clearcoat Metallic, Medium Wedgewood Blue, Portofino Blue, Light Denim Blue, Boysenberry Blue.
Toreador Red, Rose Mist, Dark Toreador Red, Cabernet, Dark Cordovan.
Champagne, Saddle Beige, Light Prairie Tan, Chestnut Brown, Cypress Gold.
Chameleon, Mystic, Black Satin, Deep Violet, Royal Plum, Plum Mist, Dark Plum.
Oxford White, Vibrant White, Opal Opalescent, Ivory Pearlescent.
Silver Frost.
And these are just the ones off the top of my head. I wish I could include color samples here, but that is more work than I feel like getting into…
Oh, and let’s not forget some of the interior colors, namely the Willow Green and Wedgewood Blue colors that were my favorites from that era!
And once again my fountain of Useless Knowledge spills out again 😛
Cameo White, Starlight Black, Ascot Silver, Porcelain Blue, Admiralty blue, Regatta Blue, Golden Olive, Brewster Green, Verdant Green, Slate Green, Desert Sand, Mesa Tan, Valencia Gold, Burma Brown, Burnished Umber, Florentine Red, Bucaneer Red, Navajo Orange, & Sunlight yellow. Care to take a stab at that year & make? I’m one of those types too!
My wife and I went to an auction because they had a 1st gen Odyssey van but ended up buying a ’96 Mustang GT convertible solely because of the color — Deep Violet with white top & white leather interior. I’m a sucker for anything with white interior & it contrasts so nicely with the purple outside.
We saw a Deep Violet Mustang convertible with a tan top last year & thought it looked terrible though.
Joel
The make is definitely Pontiac since they almost always called their black “Starlight Black” (As opposed to Chevy’s “Tuxedo Black”). I know for sure the year isn’t 1977 because I also own a Firebird Esprit and it’s Mojave Tan.
You got it — year was 1973. Maybe we’ll see a Firebird Esprit here on CC so I won’t keep hijacking threads. Would like to see pics of your car sometime. Never seen a Firebird that color before.
I bought my ’77 Esprit at a Birmingham, AL impound auction many years ago for $150 — It was originally Goldenrod yellow with a white halo top & white interior — one of the p.o. had it Maaco’d this turquoise color before running it hot, blowing a head gasket, and spinning a bearing or two.
I have a pic, but it’s pretty awful since it was taken at dusk about 7 or 8 years ago, before I had a digital camera. I’ll post it if I can find the CD it’s on.
What’s even more unusual about it color-wise, is that the interior is Firethorn Red. It also has the tape stripe that wraps around the roof from one side of the car to the other.
They wont pick that up if you leave it by the trash…….you need to haul it dump yourself.
As I said in another post. These have grown on me, especially the SHO. I wouldn’t go out of my way for one though.
My employer had one of these in 1996. It promptly acquired the name “Barney.”
Jack Baruth has a great story from his salesman days when it was his personal goal to sell as many pink Fords as possible.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/07/capsule-review-1995-ford-aspire/
I see the rear is sagging just like every 96-07 Taurus/Sable sedan. Wagons don’t seem to do it as much.
The styling depends on the color and wheel choice. Dark colors and the silver alloys (especially the “pie plates”) actually make the car look decent. Light colors and hubcaps – not so much.
I vaguely remember the “you can have it all and take it all with you” wagon commercial and the “heritage” themed commercial with the ironically short-lived “Built to Last” tag line.
Not that a blob Taurus will ever be collectible, but the unusual colors from the muscle car era that were shunned for years are now amongst the most valuable – purple is a prime example. There has been a resurgence in the past decade here for purple cars, buy a sports model Falcon or Commodore in purple and nobody will mistake it for a fleet rep special. They are a stronger/darker colour than what is shown, though. And no, I don’t own one!
You do realise that a “Rose Mist” interior option was available too? Or at least it was on the JDM-spec Taurii as shown below:
What gets me is that during the same time they had some absolutely brilliant color choices. Initially I couldn’t stand the new-for-96 Taurus, and definitely made fun of them a LOT.
When Dad went to pick up his newly-ordered ’97 F-150, which ironically was the first of the “new style” in our state, the dealer had a exec demo ’96 Taurus SHO in Toreador Red that they had just brought back from Dearborn. We had no idea of this, but as we were walking through the service bay of the dealership to check out the F-150 we saw it.
While the GL and LX still to this day don’t inspire much love with me, that was one of the most gorgeous cars I’ve ever seen. It turned out that it was a demo for then Ford CEO Alex Trotman (we later found his parking key for Ford HQ in the glove box, promptly send it to Ford and got a “Thank You” letter back from him), and while we waited for the F-150 to get final prep we took it for a test drive. Again, while the GL and LX were saddled with rather dated powertrains, the SHO’s 3.4 V8 was something to behold.
Needless to say, both the F-150 and SHO came home with my parents that day, the F-150 replacing Dad’s beloved ’94, and the SHO replacing Mom’s 626 ES. We had the SHO for 5 more years, and I do know for a fact that Dad still regrets letting it go. It was a rather amazing car that handled like it was on rails and had plenty of power from the little Yamaha V8. When Mom replaced it with a ’01 Mustang GT, Dad decided to start driving it.
One afternoon we all went for a family lunch/road trip out of town – me piloting the SHO with my sister riding shotgun, Dad and Mom in the GT, and my brother in his ’90 Probe GT. While on the highway the Mustang easily pulled past the Probe, the SHO kept right on his tail the whole time.
I still repeatedly kick myself for not buying that SHO when Mom traded it in on a F-150 for Dad two years later. Repeatedly. That Toreador Red beast was just something else.
Jellybean styling always seem to evoke Japanese cars in my mind. However, this car does look OK in a certain way. Not good, of course, but not hate worthy. If you squint the right way, and look at the rear, on a clear day you can see Jaguar. It would also help to find out what our venerable Master has been smoking and get some of the same.
I remember reading that dealers dreaded seeing any Ford in this color as a trade-in…supposedly, this color made these cars absolutely sales proof.
I’ll take Mopar’s “Plum Crazy” purple any day. If one is going to have a purple car, no wussy pinkish or grayish shades will get the job done like Plum Crazy.
Roses are red
Violets are purple
You’re really sweet
Just like maple surple.
I recall a comedy bit from a few years ago, about a “Pinkly Ford” & a young lady talking about how much she loves her “Pinkly Taurus”.
When I went to look for the Sunfire GT that would ultimately end up as my car, I was looking for a purple one. I had found a couple in my area, but they suffered from some kind of mechanical maladies that I thought I was not prepared to deal with. As luck would have it, the stripped down 5 speed Sunfire GT i DID buy had a whole host of mechanical issues that would eventually reveal themselves. Lesson learned.
I personally miss the wild colors we were getting back in the 90’s. I desperately wanted a Lime Green Neon ACR, but the second child kept me from going into car payments. It was just as well, as I think a factory hot rod Neon would have been great, my dear old Lancer Turbo was still a better car for a young family.
I loved the purples and teals that were commonly available back then, and wish we could get them now. OTOH, I’m no longer as much as an extrovert as I was back then, and dark Presidential blue was the color of choice for my wife’s Pontiac which we bought new three years ago.
I guess we do change with time…
I don’t think a standard Taurus is ugly enough…
The Sable front we got sure didnt help awful cars ugly incompetent slow ill handling junk
I had no idea that there was Bomex for a Taurus.
Wow. Just wow.
The fall of 95 featured TV and Radio ads with song about ‘The all new American car,etc’, but hardly spoke of features or improvements. Within the model year, base level ‘G’ models were releases, due to sticker shock.
The ’96 was over-researched and while people say they want a ‘radical looking car’, they won’t actaully buy them. What also hurt was the Neon already had round headlights, and were considered ‘cute’ on a compact, but not really stylish on a mainstream car.
The dashboard was a mess, whomever designed it should have been fired.
They lasted 4 model years, 96,97,98,99, by they way.