I just purchased this SHO about 2 weeks ago. It is a 2-owner with 112k. This SHO is in excellent condition. It is, indeed, a rare SHO with its premium cloth interior. It doesn't have the power passenger's seat, in-car cell-phone, or leather upholstery. It's got everything else, though. The SHO is in bad need of a full-service tune-up. The dealer had the car for 1 day before I purchased it. The car had alot of problems when I checked it out and I bought it anyway knowing that the dealer was intending on fixing everything and plus I bought an extended warranty. I have no idea if the cams have been welded or not, but I will see if the warranty will pay the $500 to have that preventive maintenance done. Here's what's all wrong with it: 1 of the cylinders is misfiring, it has a small exhaust leak at the rear manifold, it needs a coolant temperature sensor, the fuel-injectors need to be cleaned out or replaced, and the bushings in the suspension need to be replaced, also. This is a jewel of a motor. It revs like an expensive luxury car engine, and it should. This motor can cost anywhere from $5-$15,000 to replace. The balance shaft and the rear-mounted water pump are extremely smart and cost-efficient ideas. The V8 makes the inherent "whirring" noises at idle just like the Duratec 2.5 V6 that it's based on. I think it comes from the water-pump or some other accessory drives. It also incorporates reverse-flow cooling which sends coolant to the Yamaha designed heads first and then to the Ford sourced block. This enables the car to have cleaner emissions from faster warmups and better fuel consumption due to lesser cooling fan cycles from that, the heavy-duty cooling system, the 3 "cats", the torque-converter and oil-cooler in the strong AX4N, and the coil-on plug ignition system. On a 40-degree morning, it only takes the SHO minutes to fully warm-up. This motor feels and sounds alot like the 3.9 liter unit in the Lincoln LS-V8. It feels about as smooth as the 4.6 liter InTech in the Lincoln Continental, however. Torque-steer demands your attention strictly with both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. I revved it to 4,000rpm and placed the tranny in 1st and man.....the sweetest tire squeals I ever heard emerged preceded by 100ft skid marks and rising clouds of smoke!!!! This was more fun than dropping the clutch on my old 95' Mustang 5.0! The tranny's strong internals and the heavy-duty CV-axles remained unhurt, afterwards. I had to literally scrape dried, burnt rubber off the rocker panels and out of the fenderwells! Initial 0-60mph takeoff feels and SOUNDS like a freakin jet!! The g-forces increase the closer the V8 gets to its 7,000rpm redline and the sweet sucking of the sophisticated intake system are all intoxicating. This is why many SHO owners put up with all their car's problems instead of trading it in. I have not driven or rode in a car that gives you as much mental delight as an SHO. V6 OR V8. The AX4N shifts very fast under normal driving and very smoothly under full throttle runs. The modulated torque-converter is a delight, also. It allows the engine to balance the torque of the V8 with the sweet midrange during everyday driving. I love the small tingy vibration and sound the V8 makes around 2,000 rpm! It is AWESOME!!!!