Special Editions
A few special editions of the Sable were made, all consisting of first generation models.
In 1987, Mercury created a special edition of the Sable called the "LS Monochrome Edition", which as an option would color the bumpers, side trim, and wheels white. It was only offered in 1987; the production quantity is not known and it is also unknown how many still exist.
In 1989, Mercury created a "50th Anniversary" edition of the Sable, to celebrate Mercury's 50th Anniversary. Keeping with the name, only 50 were sold, combined between GS and LS models. This Sable was actually a test bed for creating a Luxury sports version of the Sable called the LTS, similar to that of the Ford Taurus SHO. It was meant to use the SHO's chassis, interior, and suspension, but not the engine. After the launch of the SHO, and all the publicity and praise it got, Ford shelved the Sable LTS to focus on the SHO, and because they were afraid it would take sales away from the SHO. The Sable LTS remained in a "development hell" until mid-1994 when it was introduced as a high-end version of the Sable, but by then, it was just a highly optioned LS. An unknown number of these Sables still exist, but a pristine condition GS in this trim was sold on eBay in 2007.
A special one-of-a-kind Sable convertible was created in 1988 for the Detroit SAE auto show. It was built from a sedan chassis and featured a completely custom two-door body with a custom folding top. However, it was shelved; the only one sat in a warehouse for years until it was given a VIN, titled, and driven. It was sold on eBay in 2006.
In an article in Automotive News (circa 1990) an all aluminum body in white was made for a Sable. In an accompanying photo it is shown being held up by two middle aged women, leading to the belief it would weigh less than 600 lb (270 kg). Ford's Aluminum Intensive Vehicle (AIV) program built 20 aluminum-bodied Sables with high-performance Taurus SHO V6 engines. This was an engineering exercise for constructing all aluminum unit bodies, as Jaguar has now.
Read more about this topic: Mercury Sable
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