Picture of the Day: Home of the Taurus finally torn down

Ford's assembly plant in Hapeville, Georgia stopped producing the last generation Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable back in late 2006. At that time, Ford had long since ceased selling the Taurus to the general public, as the last remaining units went directly into fleet service.

Autoblog reader Drachen sent us these images recently of the Hapeville plant that produced the original Taurus, or rather, what's left of it. The site was purchased by Jacoby Development in June 2008 and demolition of its buildings began last August. On February 12 they tore down the final standing structure, which happened to be the main assembly building. Commuters on nearby I-75 had driven past the building countless times and seen the large blue oval and "Atlanta Assembly - World Acclaimed Home of Ford Taurus & Mercury Sable" on its side.

Times have changed. The Taurus name was resurrected a couple of years ago to replace the Five Hundred moniker on Ford's large sedan, which has been significantly redesigned for the 2010 model year. That car, however, will obviously not be built in the 60-year-old plant that proudly pieced together the last model, but rather Ford's Chicago Assembly plant.