I walked onto a Mazda dealership in 1992 after seeing a newspaper add for a medium canyon red 1986 Mustang SVO they had taken in on a trade for a new 626. The salesman asked me: "What's the deal with these SVO Mustangs?" I told him it was a 4-cylinder model that didn't sell very well. After paying the man a paltry $4,000, I cranked up the low mileage, high revving engine, hit the gas and buzzed off into the sunset. The truth is that the SVO Mustang is a highly engineered, low production sport car that was destined to become the most collectable Mustang made during the 1980's. However, the market price of the SVO Mustang has never really jumped to the levels you'd expect of a collector car. But never mind that. This is one hell of a road-carving sports car. And if you find one in decent or restorable shape, it's a worthy purchase.

History: The SVO Mustang was produced between 1984 and 1986. The inline four cylinder engine and turbo charger produced about 195 horsepower in 1984, which jumped to 210 horsepower in the 1986 model, making it the most desirable. However, all model years are nearly identical except that flush headlights were added in mid-year 1985. All of the cars came with a manual 5-speed transmission. The SVO retailed for about $17,000 in 1984 --- a cost that few new Mustang buyers were willing to spend because the Mustang GT came with a 5.0 engine that produced about 10 more horses and could be obtained for about $3,000 cheaper. Ford only produced about 9,000 SVOs.

Appearance: The SVO was a shock to Mustang fans when it was first introduced. Designed to take away customers from the Nissan Z car, it had the sort of sophisticated European styling that made it obvious that the car yearned for twisty roads rather than the drag strip. The car has an offset functional hood scoop, slotted dish aluminum wheels with low profile tires and a bi-level rear wing. All of the trim pieces on the car, including the wing, were painted a subtle charcoal grey. The car also came with Marchant fog lights up front, which came standard with covers to protect the lights when not in use.

Interior: The inside of the SVO was as different as the outside when compared to other Mustangs of the era. It retained the same six analog gauge set up as the rest of the Mustangs. Everything inside the car --- from the dash to the seats --- was decked out in charcoal gray. All SVO's came with a leather wrapped steering wheel, gear shift and emergency brake handle. The lower console of the car featured a toggle switch that allows the drive to change between regular and premium unleaded gas. The dash lights are lit in a racing red. And the front bucket seats came with an unusual air bladder that allowed the driver and the passenger to adjust their individual lumbar supports. The seats came with a pump-up control that allowed the driver and passenger to fill and deflate the air bladder. It's a neat idea, but when I purchased my car, the bladders in both seats leaked and would only stay pumped for a matter of minutes. My car came with cloth interior, with a tasteful small dot insert in both the front and back seats and on the door panel trip. The front seats were very comfortable with good side support which kept me in place while taking this car through corners. The back seat was no place for an adult --- as is the case for all Mustangs. All SVO's came with a premium radio set up with a cassette tape player. My radio fizzled out about a year after I bought the car. And it never sounded great anyway. But since it wasn't a daily driver, I didn't replace it. Another annoying thing about the SVO is none of the cars came with cruise control. This was a problem when I took the car on long road trips.

Performance: Seeing as this car gets most of it's get up and go courtesy of a turbo charger, it has a bit of turbo lag. This car is not that fast from a dead stop. While accelerating, the turbo would kick in when you hit about 10 mph, depending on how much gas you gave the engine. And when the turbo kicks in, you'll know it. The car gets a noticeable boost, and you'll hear an exciting Wrrrrrrrrr from the turbo as the engine begins to race. I owned a 5.0 Mustang at the same time as I had the SVO, and the 5.0 Mustang had better low end and top end range. However, driving the SVO was a fun and unique experience. On the highway, it was kind of neat to punch the gas and feel the turbo kick in and rocket you past the pokey driver that was blocking your way. But this is also a high revving car. It will spin at 4,000 to 4,500 rpms while traveling down the highway at 65 mph --- even in 5th gear --- while a 5.0 Mustang will do the same at 2,500 rpms. The SVO was the first Mustang to come with four wheel disc brakes. And they worked well. My SVO would come to a stop on a dime.

Handling: This is the reason to buy a SVO. The car came with heavy sway bars front and rear and dual Koni adjustable shocks in the rear. And this car drove like a slot car. It just stuck to the road like no Mustang I've owned before or since. I experienced minimal body roll while putting the car through winding roads. The SVO is a favorite of auto crossers to this day. Drive one and you'll know why.

Repairs: I had to replace a water pump once during the three years I owned the SVO, which was fairly expensive (I think it set me back about $400.) But the most troubling thing about the car was that even at 68,000 miles, the engine emitted a puff of blue smoke when it was first started indicating either a seal leak or a ring leak. The smoke stopped after the car was warm. The car actually always performed well and never used much oil, but that puff always bothered me. I also feared having to replace or rebuild the turbo, but it never failed during my three years of ownership. Also the air conditioning leaked really bad. I've noticed that most SVOs have a problem with leaky AC systems. I didn't repair the AC. I did have the car repainted because a previous owner appeared to have never waxed or maintained the finish, paying about $1,300 for a base coat clear coat paint job. That was worth it because the fresh coat of medium canyon red paint was absolutely luminescent --- the color actually changed a bit depending on the light.

Overall: I liked the SVO. I entered the car in some shows and it was always a conversation piece. But I eventually sold the car, making about a $2,000 profit. I just decided that the SVO was a bit of a novelty car. I preferred the 5.0 Mustang for everyday driving.

Amount Paid (US$): 4,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1986
Model and Options: cloth interior, premium sound system, 5-speed turbo