The Ford Mustang SVO was a limited-production version of the third generation Ford Mustang sold from 1984 to 1986. During this time, a little over 9 000 cars were built. Some might say that it was a car before its time and that due to the oil crisis, it should not have gone into production at all. Car enthusiasts are glad that this car was made and it has become a collectors car.

It held the same spot within the lineup, both in terms of performance over "lesser" variants and in prestige, as had variants such as the Shelby-tuned and "BOSS" Mustangs of the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1981, Ford decided to form a division that could oversee both the company's racing program and the production of limited-edition, high-performance, street-legal vehicles based on or taking technology from the race vehicles. SVO stands for Special Vehicle Operations Department but consumers came to know this model as SVO. The undeniably awesome Ford Mustang SVO 

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About The Ford Mustang SVO:

Ford Mustang SVO
Via: Hemmings

In the wake of the oil crisis of the 1970s, the American muscle car had effectively died off, the result of rising fuel costs and the advent of more strict safety and emissions controls imposed worldwide. As a result, the "big three" automakers (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporation), for whom muscle cars had been a steady and reliable source of income, began to suffer somewhat financially. Many of the vehicles of the muscle car era had been either completely discontinued or had been turned down to help keep them in compliance with new federal emissions regulations and the rising demand for better gas mileage. The Mustang had also been considered to be replaced by a joint engineering effort with Mazda, but Mustang enthusiasts protested, and the car that had been prepared to replace the Mustang was eventually introduced as the Ford Probe.

In 1981, Ford decided to form a division known as SVO. In 1983, The Ford Mustang SVO was sent into production and began to be sold in 1984. The Ford engineers chose a stronger version of Ford’s 2.3-liter inline four-cylinder engine. They also added a computer-controlled fuel injection system and an intercooled turbocharger system helped push power output to 175 horsepower. As the years went on, the engine got stronger and at the end of production, the SVO could give you 200 horsepower at 5 000 RPMs as well as 240 lb-ft at 3 200 RPM. The changes made consumers happy because you could get more power out of the car and get the iconic roar of the engine.

It came with a 5-speed transmission and to spice things up, this Mustang was a 3-door liftback design car.

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What made it special?

Via: Pinterest

In addition to the advance engine, the SVO featured some awesome modifications to help increase the performance. The front suspension geometry was modified and a Traction-Lok axle was added for the first year of production.

A complete KONI suspension system featuring specially tuned adjustable front struts, rear shocks, and horizontal rear dampers replaced the setup used on the Mustang GT. Fun fact, the KONIs were used on the SVO before any other Mustang.

The exterior had a unique front grille and hood that was only used on the SVO line, thinner side mouldings, smoother sail panels behind the rear quarter windows, small rear wheel spats, and a biplane spoiler that was also unique to the SVO. The pinstriped taillights introduced on the SVO were later used on the 1993 Cobra model, as well.

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Now that we have looked into the outside of the car, let’s have a look at the interior of this masterpiece.

The interior was only available in charcoal grey. You could have it in either leather or cloth. It had adjustable sports seats with lumbar supports, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, shift leaver and a premium stereo system. These were options that were not normally found on small American coupe.

The Ford Mustang SVO, is an amazing little car that people enjoyed driving. It is a pity that only a handful was made because, with the driving experience that this car gave you, it could have been successful for years to come if it was not for the oil crisis.

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How much is it worth today?

Ford Mustang SVO
Via: Bring a Trailer

A 1986 SVO is a reasonably priced car at the moment. You can get your hands on one of these cars for as little as $ 15 000.00. If you can fix up the car and restore it to its pride and glory, you can make a nice profit on this car or you can have an awesome classic car in your car collection.

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