> In truth, most American cars had been "bottom breathers"--they got their air from below the bumper and beneath the car, rather than from air rushing through the grille and radiator--for years. For the Taurus, Ford stylists merely took the bottom-breather reality to heart, made it work for them, and blocked the nose of their volume-selling sedan. The overall effect instantly made the rest of Detroit's output look old-fashioned in the process.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1986-90-ford-taurus
Interestingly:
> In truth, most American cars had been "bottom breathers"--they got their air from below the bumper and beneath the car, rather than from air rushing through the grille and radiator--for years. For the Taurus, Ford stylists merely took the bottom-breather reality to heart, made it work for them, and blocked the nose of their volume-selling sedan. The overall effect instantly made the rest of Detroit's output look old-fashioned in the process.