The Mustang SVO the History, options, & WHY it was a Sales Failure

The SVO Mustang was one of Fords most ambitious attempts at capturing market share of the European Sports Car market. It failed pretty miserably. The car itself was hailed by the automotive press as a "Drivers Car" and seen as competent competition to BMW, Audi, and Porsche so what went wrong? I think I answer this question after taking a look at the car itself. Let me know your thoughts in comments below.

Thanks for watching and a HUGE thank you to my subscribers. It's nice when someone appreciates your work!

[EdK-pevb]

I had a 86 SVO back in the day. Bought it used with 60k miles on it. Absolutely loved the car. All that power and 28 MPG on the highway. Sold it years later with 140k miles for $4k. Only paid $1800. For it. Mine was loaded with leather and sunroof.

[dougpendleton]

I remember those days well, and agree with your conclusions. I bought a new 1986 Mustang GT and the SVO never really entered my mind. The price and lack of a V8 killed it for what I wanted. The one thing about the SVO that I really did like was the cool hood. In fact, I currently have a black 1990 LX 5.0 in my garage with a replacement SVO styled hood!

[dedeborya]

dirty secret - Mercury put a turbo on the 2.3 back in 78/9 Capri .... those were available readily during the time the SVO came out - and because of depreciation ... cheap as hell. I picked one up for 2K in 1985
all the suspension stuff bolted right in. nice fun ride - a sleeper that served me well until 2000

[jasonbyassee]

I had an 86 svo back in high school. My dad knew the dealer, so he had the wastegate adjusted to make 18 psi. Man, it was nice. Excellent handling and braking with a torquey turbo to boot. I loved that car.

[komradkolonel]

I was in high school when these were in production. I loved the look of the SVO but the price was outrageous. That, and a GT with the 302 would eat it alive on the street for a lot less money.

[jimsaleh]

I had an 86 SVO back in the day. I absolutely loved that car. When I first got it I think I had it sideways more often than I had it straight. I think the SVO was highly underrated.

[labber]

I got an 86 SVO off a dude on craigslist in 2020 for my first car. I love the way old heads get all nostalgic when they see it. Considering how few of them where made I find it crazy how many people got fond memories of one a friend had or they test-drove 20 years before I was even born. To me it speaks volumes of the unspoken legacy this car has.

[bradbradley]

Drove several of these back in the day. They were fun cars. Great car. Wrong time…Gt was cheaper and faster. As you said..16k vs 10.5k was a big difference. Great Review Tony. I really enjoyed the SVO. Wish Ford had reused the name for the S550 Ecoboost Performance pack…

[FrankBrabec]

You are spot on. I loved the test drive of the SVO but the GT had that grunt and the bigger price tag totally took it out of consideration for me. Drove that GT for 185, 000 spirited and trouble free miles! One of the best cars that I have ever owned.

[victorxavier]

I love when you do these with the vintage commercials 😁👍

[chocodiledundee]

This OHC 2.3 4 banger engine was made in Brazil 🇧🇷 and export to USA 🇺🇸 we used them in our Brazilian made F-100 and Ford Mavericks, the original “ ECOBOOST”

[alxf]

Always liked the SVO. Never owned one, but I did have an 87 Turbo Coupe. Hope to get another some day.

[josephnjoku-obiiii]

I have a beautiful 86 SVO I love and have had it since 2019. Had it shipped to Cali from Streetside Classics Atlanta. So much fun compared with the 3 5.0 lx fox body’s Ive owned in my 37 years on this earth.

[rescuedandrestoredgarage]

Great information. I think you are right on. Wrong car for what they tried to do, i believe if they would of started with cougars or the Thunderbirds it could of worked well. Thats my thoughts.

[lil_knight_turbo]

The time just wasn’t right- now-days the mustang Ecoboost lives in similar spirit but is not a special package. Ford could re-vamp the SVO name and make something great with the 2.3 Ecoboost, id be in line for it because I like my ecoboost Mustang🙂

[Wooley]

Nice history lesson. Friend of ours has an SVO mustang that's in pretty good shape he bought last summer. He has several cars that he takes to shows., he's restoring the interior seats.

[charleschauffe]

Still have my '84 SVO, silver, cloth seats, 100% stock, right down to the original AM/FM stereo and cassette player. The bi-plane spoiler has no droop, still looks new👍 I have several modern Saab turbo cars, but the SVO came out at a time where turbo lag was still an issue. It's really cool when you accerate quickly, the turbo spools up and then you feel that power like you were thrown out by a slingshot!😁

[randiruge]

Great info as always Tony.. Love your

[ohc]

I still own my 85 SVO and plan to give it to my daughter some day. Thanks for taking the time to make this video, I think you represented what the public sentiment was at the time accurately. I guess I was born a hot rodder.. I also saw the HP potential of the rugged 2.3 back in the 80's. Back then, I owned a 76' Capri which I turbocharged. The car ran an 11.8 E.T. back in the day and against anything else of that era it would absolutely dominate pretty much anything on the street. In those days. Even a well modified 5.0 Mustang was no match. When I read other peoples comments on the SVO's lack of power, I wonder if they knew how easy it was back in the day, to adjust boost pressure and replace an exhaust system, maybe fiddle with fuel pressure? Those simple mods will put the SVO or any of the 80's injected turbo Fords into a different category.

[darylthomas]

Had a 1988 t-bird turbo and absolutely loved it. Traded it in for a new stang in 2001 and been kicking myself in the a$$ ever since. I'm not disapointed that i bought the new stang, i'm just disapointed i didn't keep my turbo coupe. This time i bought a new 22 california special without a trade in. They didn't get my 01 newedge. It sits right by my new one in the garage and they both look bad a$$ in my opinion. Thanks for another good one Tony!