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Some SVO History...

The Mustang SVO was developed by Ford's Special Vehicle Operations in the early 1980s. There were only 9,844 Mustang SVOs produced from 1984 through 1986.

The SVO during 1982 development

Ford's Special Vehicle Operations developed the Mustang SVO by applying track-tested technology from the IMSA Mustang race cars. Mustang SVO Prototypes were raced in the 24-hours at Nelson Ledges.

This SVO actually lasted long enough to finish 2nd!

It catered to a select group of serious drivers. It has been said that Ford salesmen rarely sold a Mustang SVO -- they were sold before the customer walked on the dealer's lot. The advertising slogan was: "The Machine speaks for itself."

In 1984, the Mustang SVO 2.3L 4-cylinder engine produced 175 horsepower. When the 1985.5 model year was released, this went up to 205 hp, and in 1986 was dialed down to 200 hp. This power was all funneled to the road by a specially modified Borg-Warner T5 5-speed transmission and Hurst linkage, to the 7.5" rear-end (3.73 gears in the 85.5-86).

The suspension was also unique in that it included modified front geometry and power-assisted 15:1 rack-and-pinion steering, including Koni adjustable struts and shocks on all four feet, and quad shocks to dampen movement of the axle. Four wheel disc brakes were included in the standard package to stop the car. Goodyear tires mounted on custom 16-inch aluminum wheels round out the package.

The exterior aerodynamics include flush headlights (introduced in the 1985.5 model year, before that they were inset using standard headlights for the time), a functional hood scoop to provide air to the turbocharger's intercooler, a unique dual-wing rear spoiler, and flush surfaces on the aluminum wheels.

For the interior, you had a choice of cloth (standard) or leather (optional) seats. Speaking of the seats, they are multi-adjustable articulated sport seats with adjustable lumbar supports. There is also a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, shift lever, and emergency brake handle. A special brake pedal was designed to accommodate heel-and-toe shifting.

Standard features also included Power Windows & Door Locks, Air Conditioning, and Premium Sound stereo. You could order the car without these features (referred to as the Competition Prep model). Basically, there were only four options for the Mustang SVO:

• Competition Prep (no power locks, windows, radio, or A/C)
• sunroof
• leather seats
• bi-wing delete (the upper wing was removed, actually using a different spoiler on the rear deck)
  
  

Car and Driver magazine said "Its excellent driving position was praised by all our testers. Much of the credit goes to the seats . . . The smoothly operating controls, ranging from the slickest shifter . . . to the heel and toe layout of the pedals . . . ''

Road & Track magazine (October, 1983) called it " . . . perhaps the best all-around car for the enthusiast driver ever produced by the U.S. Industry.''

Yes - this car has all four wheels off the ground! The cover says:
"Outruns the Datsun 280ZX Turbo
Out-handles the Ferrari 308 & Porsche 944
...and it's affordable!"

I would like to thank Jeff Fisher for allowing me to link to his site - Jeff was there at the 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges during the two development years the SVO ran this race. Enjoy visiting his site - highly recommended for the SVO fan. Click on the Nelson Ledges link above.

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