I personally had that option in 1985 and ordered a 1985 1/2 SVO. It didn't disappoint, but in hindsight the handwriting was already on the wall by the time it debuted in 1984. Muscle was coming back and even though the Mustang GT's were gaining popularity with the 5.0, they didn't handle anywhere near the SVO. It was a car that would have been super popular if introduced 5 years earlier. Timing is everything.
You got the sweetest one. I would have chosen the SVO over the GT even back then when I car shopped after the dealerships closed, a long-time hobby. I was young and went $4K cheaper, but loved it-1986 GLHS Turbo.
To be fair, they had actually introduced the first turbo 4 in 1979. They had it until at least 1982. The SVO replaced it. They just did such a poor job of that engine, which had no intercooler, that no one paid attention.
Owned a 1986 cougar xr 7 turbo 5speed! After bypassing the boost controls for 1st and 2nd gear and adjusting the air vane to optimum flow I was able to walk mustang gt 5.0 to 100 plus mph, Smoked a lot of camaro irocz's and transams Plus destroyed a ton of g body gms that were suposed to be fast!
Wow. All those people who liked the comment really took the bait. '86 XR7s are big boats. The only reason/s you would beat any of those cars is because they had an automatic transmission, they weren't full throttle, or both.
@@tmo2798took the bait on what? The mercury cougar was virtually the exact same car as the mustang, with much better aerodynamics. Had the same engine, same transmission, same 'frame', and better aerodynamics. It was slightly longer (4") and slightly heavier, but that's like saying a mustang would lose because you had a buddy in the passenger seat.
First off the Cougar was only a couple hundred pounds more than the mustang (Based on the Fox body) had the optional 3.73 limited slip rear, the T5 had a lower first and second gear in the turbo xr7 application. Worked at Ford through the 80s and worked at GM through the 90s to 2010. My brother had a 1987 350 Formula firebird automatic, tuned and injectors and I stayed with that car all the way to 85 plus!
I owned Two - First one was so New, it didn't have the advertised Four-Shock Rear Suspension. Drove it for more than 100K miles. Lotsa fun. Paid a Real premium for it at Intro - $16K, IIRC. Traded it in for the '86 just as they were put n Clearance Prices - Paid $13,400 for that One, New. Bought a Borla Exhaust system. Convinced a Muffler shop to make Me a "Test Pipe" to lose the Catalytic Converter. Drove that SVO from 1986 to 1994. Disconnect the Lil Hose to the Waste Gate, and the EFI could handle things well - up to an indicated 20+/- PSI indicated boooost on good Fuel! This was in Southern CaCaLand, before the CARB got nasty. Often had the Car well above 150 Indicated, going up 395 into the Desert. Had a Ton of Fun, RidgeRacing/Canyon Carving from Ontario over to Pasadena. Miss That Car.
@@NathanaelNaused Because I had up powered the Car, it could go faster than stock. "Float" sensation occurred around 160 indicated...I generally avoided going that fast. Main Problem was BRAKES! Taken from the Lincoln parts Bin (I was told), they were only good for ONE Panic Stop from the elevated speeds that the Car was capable of, then required a few minutes of Cool-Down to return from "Fully Faded" condition.
@@guyskeer5411 You obviously recalibrated/refaced the speedo because it only went to 140. Brake fade and rear-steer were the 2 weaknesses of that car. Fade happened because the fluid boiled because the piston area is massive on those (73/54 mm). They create tremendous brake force. Friction. HEAT. Right pads, right fluid will stop that fade. At least on the street. Pistons need to be steel and the fronts need steel piston sleeve bushings to stop pad taper. Those brakes can be phenomenal if done right. Maximum Motorsports Panhard bar cures the rear steer.
I’m expecting the new Ghostbusters to be just as bad as the 4 cylinder Mustang was… that car was a dog ( 80’s one don’t know about new one at all except the tech has improved immensely)
I'll tell you what, the new Ecoboost Mustangs aren't the fastest but, they are still pretty nice. It would be cool to deck one out like the fastest Mustangs.
@@dominicmdetSpeak for yourself. I didn’t have the turbo 4 banger but the 4 banger and no it wasn’t no drag car but for a daily driver which mine was it was plenty. Out performed several of my 4 bangers in every way but fuel economy. The Samurai, and Saturns spanked it on gas mileage but it was quicker acceleration and response then the Saturns or Samurai or my old Ram50. Dog? Nah. If I could find a body with title already set up for the manual for a decent price I’d snatch it up and reclaim my youth, but maybe with a slant 6 or 289
In 1984 I was 23 years old and knew a guy with the 1984 SVO mustang. (for the time) It was fast. I had just bought my first new car, a 1984 Hurst/Olds. In stock form the SVO spanked my Hurst. But I added a 140hp NOS kit, bringing my Hurst to 320 hp. This finally took care of the SVO. All of this took place in Beaumont, Texas. I said I knew a guy with a 1984 SVO Mustang, I knew him from crossing paths in our cars and we did compete. But we never exchanged words, I never even knew his name. In 1984, that SVO and my Hurst were pretty fast for street cars of the time. It blows me away how far current day street cars have come, especially with horsepower numbers. Thankyou for featuring the SVO.
I know right, I have a 14 ats 2.0t stock it’s 272hp 260 tq and 0-60 in 5.7 140mph limiter. Not very expensive to get some decent power out of them either. I’m currently FBO running e50 making around 370 crank hp 380tq which is around 325 wheel hp 350tq and 0-60 in 4.3 and top speed limiter removed. No idea what it would top out at.
I was confronted with this very choice in 1985. The local Ford dealer had a couple of SVOs and some 5.0 GTs. I test drove both versions and picked the SVO. This was December of 85, so the cars were all 86 models. My SVO was Black with a grey cloth interior. I really enjoyed that car. Decent (for the time) power, low profile Goodyear Gatorbacks, adjustable Koni shocks, 4 wheel disc brakes, Hurst shifter, and Recaro-designed seats. It was my daily driver for six years, good times.
I had an 84 SVO. What a great car. I've also owned an 88 Mustang G.T. with the manual transmission. Both cars gave me no problems and where easy to work on and so much fun to drive. The SVO was special as it was out of the box thinking. I later owned a GMC Syclone pickup truck. These type of vehicles are for enthusiast with a more progressive outlook on performance. I've always owned and have a thing for turbo vehicles. They are a ton of fun to drive and own. If I had the money to build my dream car collection I would defiantly have an SVO in it
My cousin had the 84 SVO, and I had an 86 GT in high school. That SVO was quick as hell, but I'm like you - nothing sounds like a 5.0... loved that car.
My step dad had an 84. I used to take it out while my parents were on vacation and I was home alone. It was a smooth operator, definitely a very cool car
I had a 1984-1/2 SVO. Sold it to guy (with buy back option) that was engaged to my sister. Wedding never happened, never saw the car again. He won twice...got the car and avoided my train-wreck sister!! lol...
I had a stock 1988 Merkur Xr4Ti. It had what looked to be the same engine as this SVO. But my Merkur had the automatic and I recall that they intentionally limited boost to keep the engine torque from destroying the auto transmission. Yet it was pretty fast, especially suited for high altitudes mountain roads. It had more turbo lag than modern turbos. And it was hard to work under the hood since that turbo got so hot. It was running great when I sold it for too little, since no one knew what it was. I wish I still had it.
I had an 85 XR4Ti (with an aftermarket FMIC) and an 86 SVO at the same time. The Merkur was far more solid and the best driver's car I've owned. If it had come with more power, a T5, and 4-wheel disc brakes, I'd probably still own it. I do still have the SVO after 32 years of ownership.
@@mchristr I have an 1986 ford Sierra rs cosworth 2.0 inline 4 turbo and it slays Porsche 911s and many modern so called sports cars 0-60mph 5secs tops out 155mph no slouch getting there lots arse out sideways on roundabouts odd violent flick steering wheel as dip clutch build boost up drop clutch steer out door window lol
My dad had an 84 SVO. It was incredibly quick compared to other normal cars I was diving at the time (mid 90s) Some notable differences between the SVO and same model year V8 GTs were: 5 lug and wider wheels stock where GTs were 4 lug. 4 wheel disc, GTs still had rear drum. The rear suspension (as mentioned in the video) not only help handling but also reduced wheel hop and unintentional burnouts. Fuel injection while the GT was carbureted until 86. A MUCH tighter clutch that could shift with minimal pedal throw. A factory installed short-throw Hurst shifter. A side benefit is that it was super easy to work on. While the turbo and especially the intercooler took up some space, this was still a 4 banger sitting in an engine bay meant for a V8.
My 87 LX ran into one of these on the highway years ago, I was shocked how much power they must have because it was a close race and when we were toping out my 87 started to pull away slowly. 87 302HO has 300ft pound stock. I admired the dude for trying to run me circa 1989. Still drive the car to this day. Long live the fox body 302HO. Ford Tough
Thanks for creating this. Good effort. Very worthy topic. You got a lot right. A couple of corrections if I may: 1) Iacocca convinced Henry II to get back into racing in the early 1960s. That was the "Total Performance" campaign. He headed to Chrysler well before Caldwell and Peterson brought in Walter Hayes, who brought in Kranefuss and John Plant. 2) SVT was created in the early 90s and were only involved with specialty performance vehicles vs all racing operations and parts distribution. The only Ford entity that has had the scope of SVO is today's Ford Performance. They do what SVO did, not SVT. SVO was not "renamed SVT". Again, glad to see the piece. Well done.
Back in high school, my friend got an 84 or 85 turbo coupe. That was a slick ride back in the late 80’s. When that turbo spooled up, the howl was so loud that you first thought a cop was behind you!
Whoa Nellie! When I was stationed in northern California, was leaving the Roseville (-Dale?) flea market. Was driving in my truck and heard a "whiiir" behind us - A black and gold SVO pulled up next to us. While I was going "around high 60's" the driver in the SVO dropped a gear and took off like a shot. My buddy and I was impressed.
my sister's boyfriend had a white SVO that was modified and when I rode in it and he dropped the hammer it sounded like a jet airplane. Somehow not sure if due to blow off valve or what but it was awesome
For some reason or listening to 'haters' lol, I NEVER saw this Turbo four-cylinder Mustang as nothing, I scorned it. This Is quite possibly the best video review that spoke so highly of it and has me now refocusing on it & appreciating it, I will take the two for 1994 lol, I will always love the v8 slower or not lol, but I will certainly put on my bucket list now, for a turbo four Mustang, I totally enjoyed this video, incredibly informative & thought-provoking. thanks for posting, iI will share it too.
Towed my old friends SVO back to his house. These are one of the best sounding I4 ever made imo. These cars with a forged bottom end with a top end to match,big turbo, man, ton of fun. I myself had an 89GT.
I've owned a bunch of foxbodies.Great video I especially liked the '86 GT in med.canyon red,that was one of my favorites.I had a poster when I was a teenager of the McLaren mustangs that I got from a local Firestone dealer.Those Mclarens were in my opinion the nicest looking fox and definitely the rarest of all foxbodies.
@@van_trippin5260I always think it was simply why. Turbo technology was to basic, you'd turn them into 4k plus power only. Imo why they didn't send the UK 2.8 v6 160 hp capri engine over and bolt a turbo on like turbo techniques did to get 230bhp out of them
Cosworth built a 16V head for the Sierra (also 2.3 Lima), but cost was prohibitive. 16V heads WERE in development by 1986 at closure. Most likely would have made production by '88, possibly '87. 225 CFM is attainable with the stock head.
I had one of those 85 1/2 Mustang SVO. They are lighting quick and corner like they are on rails. Easily one of my favorite cars of all time. This coming from a former Viper owner. I wish I’d never sold that car.
@@Anubis-h5pno… they offered the turbo 2.3 on the GT four eyes for a couple years, v8 or Turbo then the SVO came out with an intercooled turbo 2.3. They offered the same non-intercooled turbo 2.3 engines in T-birds and Cougar’s from 1983-86 as well. When they stopped the SVO in 1986 they put the better intercooled turbos in the T-bird for 87-88.
@@Anubis-h5p Nope. In 1984 there was a GT Turbo that had the SVO engine, but was not an SVO. It had the GT brakes and no fancy shocks, etc. It was only an option 83-84.
I had an '86 SVO. Still miss that car. My girlfriend's, mom's boyfriend in 1983 was a Ford Engineer and drove a prototype to visit her and it was astounding at the time.
Awesome blue oval offerings, just as the GNs and Turbo TAs were from GM to open our eyes to forced induction and as alternatives to V8 power. I enjoyed wrenching and tech-ing all the above... "boosting" my way into the aftermarket performance world in my late teen years, ca 1995. I helped design, R&D, then create production procedures as we produced a stainless header and downpipe along with wastegate and boost control setup, then a modified adjustable, billet-capped fuel pressure regulator for these little 4-banger 5-luggers at Applied Technologies and Research My own Cheater-kitted 305 Monte SS wasn't a turd but when our SVO test mule was complete, I fell in love with the PULL swoosh PUULLLL swoosh PUUULLLLL of that lil force-fed Pinto heart with a leathered T5 knob in one hand
The 79-80 mustang draw through turbo 2.3 was Ford's first attempt at this. The SVO was fuel injected which eliminated some of the carb drawbacks. One was the exhaust bypass valve that killed turbo speed when you closed the throttle. Massive turbo lag and lackluster performance led to the discontinue after the small run in 1980.
The fox body SVO turbo Mustangs were really cool for the time period, and they looked great. I owned an '84 Mustang Cobra, '86 Mustang GT and a '92 Mustang Saleen but never had the opportunity to own an SVO Mustang.
Mustang never "ditched its V8" as your title says, but it did add a turbo 2.3 L. Those '86 SVO's were actually as quick as the 1st year fuel injected 5.0 L was. My first Mustang was an '85 GT, loved those "4 eyed" foxbodies. Once you put long tube headers, a Holley carb and an MSD ignition on the five oh it was lights out for the SVO though.
@@tonyelliott7734 Use of a non-emission Holley or Carter/Edelbrock AFB carb helped as would an aftermarket cam which were rapidly becoming available in many different grinds as people began to modify the 302, eventually leading to the 347 stroker as the 351 Windsor was a tight fit in a Fox body. Aluminum cylinder heads with big ports and 2.02 intake valves are still available for not a lot of money. All the stock iron heads needed a lot of porting to make them flow
@@donreinke5863 I agree. But that's not the comment I replied to. I've had so many Foxbody Mustangs, among others, I lost count. So I have a pretty good idea of what it took to make them fast and quick.
Back in 1987 I bought my first new car. 21 years old and single. I made it through a check list. Down to the final two were the Mustang Svo And the Buick Regal T- Tyoe! I Bought the Buick! I Would Still Love to Have one of these If I could ever Afford One Now. Thank You for the Information!
I worked at Guy Laney Lincoln Mercury in Denton, Texas from '84 through '86. Guy Laney also had a Ford dealership in Decatur, 30 miles west of Denton. I was the chassis alignment guru then, and Denton had the only 4 wheel alignment rig in the area. I got to drive dozens of shiny new Mustangs and Capris (Mercury's fox body coupe), and I really liked the SVO better than the 5.0 GT's. SVO's handling and brakes were just that much better, even though the GT's were just a little quicker off the line. Good times, I'd still choose the SVO today 😁
@@genericsomethingNo, I started working at another local shop in '86, while taking courses for an Associates degree in electronics. I left automotive service in '88, working for the next 20 years in electronics manufacturing and product development 😁
One of the most enjoyable cars I’ve ever driven… not a quarter mile killer, but point it at a tight curve and it responded with hugging the road, the faster you went the more it liked it. Handled and responded like a shifter kart.
Absolutely! My 85 had an incredibly solid chassis, and the excellent ergonomics were typical German. I sometimes wish I'd kept that car instead of my 86 SVO.
I had a black 84 SVO. It was a hoot to drive and boost coming in while passing someone in the rain made it exciting. It was a very comfortable cruiser and I loved the rear dual wing
SVO i worked for a dealer ship in the 80's i use to prep the new cars for sale.. we got one of the first ever silver SVO stangs.. it sold while it was still on the delivery truck but the dealer ship tld the buyer he had to wait 30 days so we could show it off on the showroom floor.. he came down every couple of days to look at it.. it was fast for those days..turbo boosted pretty good.
I've always liked these SVO Mustangs since they were new. A friends father worked at Ford and drove one of these for a while. It was a really cool car in 1984. That double rear spoiler just set it apart.
Well Done ... graphics, clips and editing were 8.5 out of 10 ✅ and the audio kept me completely interested from go to stop ... i could've watched another 5 mins of this and im a car enthusiast not necessarily a Mustang guy so, again well done. Be Well ✌ Stay Safe
I have an 86 I bought back in 2019 and its a sneaky collector. I've had a bunch of 5.0s in my lifetime and none were as fun as my SVO somehow lol. This thing had 4 wheel disc brakes since inception and the 5.0s never thought of ditching the rear drums during its entire fox life. The SVO is a forgotten classic and I don't know if I'll ever sell mine.
Here in Wales UK 🏴 I watched an American TV show called junkyard empire earlier this week and they put an ecoboost 2.3 turbo in an svo Mustang making it one of a kind apparently.
READ THIS COMMENT FOR QUICK INFO ON THESE 2.3'S We used to be able to get aftermarket cylinder heads for these old sohc 2.3's...not anymore...the biggest achilles heal on these cars is the stock cylinder head, even when ported to the moon a stock 90s dsm head still outflows it...worst part is despite the new 2.3 ecoboost being a viable swap...these old 2.3 sohc are gaining popularity again and we dont have any proper aftermarket cylinder heads from esslinger anymore. Stinger performance makes a plug n play standalone self learning ecu for this car with an upgrade to turn your distributuor into a cam angle sensor so you can run LS coil pack ignition...the turbo engine internals are good for about 400 hp stock, as long as you change the oil the on time these engines will literally last forever and even with a slightly upgraded camshaft the engine will still be non interference so if the timing belt snaps it wont squish the valves...also the timing belt literally takes 15 min to replace on this car...the easiest timing belt replacement ever...also great gas mileage when cruising...truth be told i really hope this comment gets upvotes so we can have an aftermarket aluminum high flowing cylinder head again from esslinger
I traded emails with someone at Esslinger (new owner?) a few years ago asking if they would consider again making the D-port head. I told him that the 2.3 head core shortage would guarantee significant sales. He told me to stay tuned but I've heard nothing since.
@mchristr yup asked them as well a few years back but they told there's not enough demand, hopefully that changes due to the rising re-popularity of the 2.3 sohc with the younger crowds getting into modding
@@monikhushalpuri I recently emailed Brian at Esslinger asking what kind of demand it would it take to do a run of heads. He said it would require 20 firm orders to do a run of 30 heads.
@mchristr honestly seems reasonable, just emailed him again and he said he has cnc ported iron heads, waiting on flow numbers to see if it's worth it
Got an email back from him on the iron heads and it's not worth it Imo 235 cfm @ .600” on the intake side 180cfm @ .600” on the exhaust side Would prefer some better flow at least 230 cfm intake at 400 lift minimum
As someone from the uk- that foxbody evolved nicely as it's life went on. You could imagine havin one as an early one as a classic Gt cruiser and the later types as a 1/4 mile muncher (purely talkin cosmetics)
Question of which to buy, Mustang GT or Mustang SVO: if you compared the two in a test drive you'd be shocked at the handling capability. Out of the showroom the SVO could pull a 1.05G turn, which made it one of the best handling cars on the market. Sprinting away from 944 or a Corvette on a twisting mountain road was a blast. Slowing down for turns was 'an option'. I traded in my 1983 GT Turbo for the 1986 SVO. I never even consider the V8 GTs of the era and never once regretted the extra cost. With the combination of power and turning, the SVO was a beast that was only matched by a handful of cars available at the time. I kept the car for 14 years, before giving it to my nephew. Also, when not hot-rodding around (a rare event), I would regularly get 28 miles per gallon. Which is pretty good for a Mustang that weighed 300 lbs more than a GT (due to much heavier suspension).
I remember driving a brand new black SVO mustang back then,,i remember it didn’t seem fast at all to me! My 2024 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss turbo 4 cylinder has 310 hp 430#s of torque 0 to 60 in 6s, I also drove a new GMC cyclone back then and it was very fast but had to get a new 91 Silverado ext cab instead cause I had a family!
I remember reading in a car magazine in 2006/2007 a guy bought one of these for $500. He put in the 5 speed from the Thunderbird super coupe, the turbo from a Cummins diesel and the radiator from a truck. He built it for $3000? And it was putting out about 600/650 horsepower. He did have a good setup for suspension and brakes if I recall correctly, I just don’t remember what he had.
I owned a 79 1/2 cobra turbo that had a turbo charged pinto 4 cylinder from the factory. All numbers matching and was a royal pain to source parts for being that they only made the car for 6 months.
Mustang sports cars are hard to beat then & now. Have an 04 SVT Cobra & 18 GT350R in garage. Never selling them. Hopefully ordering new Mustang Dark Horse 🐎 this summer.
Ford kept SVO on a tight budget so they raided the Lincoln parts bin for brakes and suspension. Those front control arms weighed a ton and the k-member pick up points had to be narrowed to fit them. I tossed mine ages ago.
I had a 1984 Mustang Gt 302. From Downey to Vegas (280 miles) with a gas fill at the start, a gas fill and quick sit down lunch in Barstow, and full gas fill in Vegas. Total time, 3 1/2 hours. However, with the Michelin tires it would spin out 180% in rain! Did the SVO have good rain tires?
I had an '84 SVO. I put a quick ratio rack in it when the non-original replacement rack blew. Then the insulation started falling off all of the wires and I didn't have the time to fix it and sold the car. I still have some spare turbo related parts lying around. I'd love to find a 1991-1993 Lima to build a turbo 2.5L with those parts.
Back then I used to go to dealerships and play "prospective new car buyer" and drove all the hot cars. One evening I went to Sunnyvale Ford and they wanted me to first drive the regular Mustang turbo. What a turd. Worst example of turbo lag I've ever seen. Then we took the SVO for a spin - night and day difference, and yes, better performance than the 5.0 GT of the time. Handling was outstanding as well with the big wheels, Konis, and 4-wheel discs. Awesome overall balanced package - and I'm a Mopar guy.
I wanted one of these SVO Mustangs so bad at the time but I was only 19 and the dealership wouldn’t even let me test drive it and there is something so cool about a 4 cylinder turbo engine that makes as much power as the V8 and is also as fast as the V8 , it’s clearly an engine that is more advanced then the V8 when it’s less then half as big but makes the same power ! And the car looked cooler then the GT mustang and it had 4 wheel disc brakes and Koni shocks and the 16 inch or 17 inch wheels that the SVO came with and it had 5 lug wheels and the interior was cooler then the GT interior, the SVO was to me clearly not only more advanced but also was a car that was more serious about performance! To me the SVO was just a better and cooler than the GT mustang . What a cool car !
They took the same SVO setup 4-cylinder with the T5 transmission and put them in the 87 88 and 89 Thunderbird turbo coupes. My parents bought a fully loaded 88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe new and that thing was more technologically advanced than most cars today
A buddy of mine had an SVO in high school. A cool car for the time, it didn’t get the same respect as the other guys with GT’s. Here I am in my mid 40’s and I’d take a SVO over a 5.0 if I had to choose one or the other as it is such a unique and semi-rare car today.
Mustang SVO!!! I'm getting older so I have gone from Dragstrip to Handling!? At the time I bought the Buick It Was Dragging and Comfort for High Speed Highway driving! Not to mention how it was a Sleeper back Then!
Good video! Am I seeing things but is the opening photo actor/playwright Tracy Letts who played Henry Ford II in Ford v Ferrari - and not Ford himself?
Reason why I'd have a 4-pot Mustang. There's something fascinating about smaller engines in "brute force" muscle cars when they get just as much power as the stock V8 would.
Back in early 1988 when I was in HS, I was shopping for my first car that would be an '83 or '84 GT because it was the best I could afford. Then a salesman shows me an '86 SVO they had at a very reasonable price, and that was it. $9k and I could get financing. Paid it off early and 2 years later it was totaled (not my fault). Got my purchase price back in full, too. Then I went lower budget on an '85 GT. Loved it too, but it seemed every month I was putting around $200 into repairs. SO, found a year old or so '88 GT with only 3k miles and bought it. That thing screamed until i sold it a few years later. Also had an '88 Turbo Coupe until that got totaled (that one was on me).
Had a 86 mustang 4 cylinder and 4 Speed but it was naturally aspirated. Still was peppy enough and it would roast both back tires and had a habit of walking the rear end right when burning out. Would leave matching check marks on the road
I had the SVO’s big well dressed brother. The 1983 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. The HP numbers were dramatically understated. I had it on a rolling dyno at 220 hp. That’s at the wheels. 0-60 was probably about the same, but I can lie to you and myself and say it was faster. That’s how I remember it anyway. It was fast AF in the 1980’s.
Left out the fact that the front K-Member and front A arms were special to the car. The car used 14" wide front A arms vs the regular mustangs 13" wide ones which gave the car a slightly wider track width.
The 16" 5-lug SVO wheels had a substantially higher positive offset (low-mid 40s range) than the 14-15" 4-lug wheels, so most of that extra width compensated for more backspacing. Definitely more cool handling geometry at work there, of course.
My understanding is that the limited SVO development budget necessitated the Lincoln control arms and the narrower pick up points on the k-member. And they weighed a lot!
My friend had the 84 4 cylinder turbo mustang. The thing was pretty quick. Just a little slower than the 5.0 as I remember and better in a twisty. 85 mph speedometer and it went way past that and around up to 20 or 30 mph before we got scared and backed off.
And just think, today's Mustang with the 2.3L four-cylinder Ecoboost can put out 315 HP and 350 ft/lbs of torque! Even the 2.0L Ecoboost in the Focus ST put out over 250 HP and 270 ft/lbs of torque for the 2018 model! These are incredible numbers considering how much tighter emissions standards have gotten since the 1980s.
I was in college in the 80s without the finances to buy either Mustang, but I appreciated both. I would have bought the GT, however, cause I didn’t trust the reliability of the turbos or the electronics. I’d had a European car from the mid 70s with electronic injection for a while and never could find anyone who knew how to make it run right. Ford bean counters seemed to have been pushing four cylinders for a while and the car buying public wasn’t drinking their fruity flavored powdered drink mix, so a cheaper yet reliable and powerful V-8 platform was going to beat out the high tech four cylinder. Especially when gas mileage wasn’t really that much better. Besides, in 1985, the 5.0 was a mix if old school and contemporary performance parts (Holly four barrel, aluminum intake, headers, roller cam, forged pistons…). I was gassing up my 351C powered Cougar one afternoon and an SVO pulled up to the pumps beside me. A blue collar guy was driving it. I asked how he liked it. He went down the list of complaints including premium fuel, real world gas mileage that wasn’t much better than the carbed rust bucket I was driving, and the NCT tires were expensive, didn’t wear well, and were sometimes hard to find. And insurance wasn’t cheap. Plus he had a high payment relative to the depreciated value. I’m sure if he’s still around, he could be telling his grand kids he had an SVO Mustang and it was fast. So all those things made for the SVO to become a valuable collector car. Incidentally, Ford’s first effort to ditch the Mustang V-8 was in 1974 when all you could bet in a Mustang II was a 2.3 four or a 2.8 V-6. They had to bring back the 302 in 75. Kind of ironic now that the Mustang is the only V-8 pony car game in town.
Back in H.S. I had an 87 Mustang 4cy n/a bought for $400. With the 4spd transmission. Eventually, it would have been swapped for a V8 any day. Still kind of miss it and didn't know the full history behind it at the time.
My first car was a 1984 Ford mustang, but it was naturally aspirated... My mom bought it off my aunt for $500, and I drove it like race care for exactly 72 hrs, before the timing belt slipped and toasted it.. then we traded it for a top loader out a Fairlane, for a 66 fastback... Still have the 66 and the top loader... :)
The 2.3 is non interference, all they had to do was slap on a new timing belt and tensioner and you'd be good to go, takes all of 15 min to change lol easiest timing belt job you'll ever do
l want both the SVO has potential for more and the 85 GT was the last of the carbed 5.0 which were alot of fun too :) that and you can mod those in your driveway all day long !! ALSO THE BEST LOOKING FOX BODIES OF THE 80s
They were very cool in their day. The 1980s was a race to get horsepower back up after the 1970s fuel panic choke down and the regulations that came with it. Seeing stuff like this always makes me appreciate how far we've come. A modern, mid-trim, front wheel drive hatchback, such as a Golf GTI or similar, will absolutely cream this car in every conceivable way (with the exception of doing doughnuts), get low thirties MPG while doing it, and cost less (inflation adjusted). That absolutely blows my mind.
The SVOs only real liability was the factory 4-link rear suspension. With that fixed and an adjustable boost valve, the SVO could keep up with most modern compacts.
I'd take the SVO in a heartbeat.
My Mom got an 87 Thunderbird TC 5 speed. It was a bit heavy off the line but the 3rd to 4th shift was great rowing up the gears.
Are we considering parts availability in the long term? Or, can we part it out?
I mean, man this is a loaded question when really thinking about it.
@kloroformd It's a highly valued Unicorn. Been looking for clean low mi example for 10yrs. Nobody will sell them!
Gimme the SVO, it is still a Rock Star !!
I personally had that option in 1985 and ordered a 1985 1/2 SVO. It didn't disappoint, but in hindsight the handwriting was already on the wall by the time it debuted in 1984. Muscle was coming back and even though the Mustang GT's were gaining popularity with the 5.0, they didn't handle anywhere near the SVO. It was a car that would have been super popular if introduced 5 years earlier. Timing is everything.
You got the sweetest one. I would have chosen the SVO over the GT even back then when I car shopped after the dealerships closed, a long-time hobby. I was young and went $4K cheaper, but loved it-1986 GLHS Turbo.
To be fair, they had actually introduced the first turbo 4 in 1979. They had it until at least 1982. The SVO replaced it. They just did such a poor job of that engine, which had no intercooler, that no one paid attention.
@@cargogh Not mad at that choice.
Owned a 1986 cougar xr 7 turbo 5speed! After bypassing the boost controls for 1st and 2nd gear and adjusting the air vane to optimum flow I was able to walk mustang gt 5.0 to 100 plus mph, Smoked a lot of camaro irocz's and transams Plus destroyed a ton of g body gms that were suposed to be fast!
Wow. All those people who liked the comment really took the bait. '86 XR7s are big boats. The only reason/s you would beat any of those cars is because they had an automatic transmission, they weren't full throttle, or both.
I was blown away the first time I saw one. Probably @88-90 in cook county. Nice black beauty. Only one I ever saw in fact.
@@tmo2798took the bait on what? The mercury cougar was virtually the exact same car as the mustang, with much better aerodynamics. Had the same engine, same transmission, same 'frame', and better aerodynamics. It was slightly longer (4") and slightly heavier, but that's like saying a mustang would lose because you had a buddy in the passenger seat.
First off the Cougar was only a couple hundred pounds more than the mustang (Based on the Fox body) had the optional 3.73 limited slip rear, the T5 had a lower first and second gear in the turbo xr7 application. Worked at Ford through the 80s and worked at GM through the 90s to 2010. My brother had a 1987 350 Formula firebird automatic, tuned and injectors and I stayed with that car all the way to 85 plus!
I have an 89 xr7 it's much better simply due to the fact it's supercharged hehe no lag for me!
I owned Two - First one was so New, it didn't have the advertised Four-Shock Rear Suspension. Drove it for more than 100K miles. Lotsa fun. Paid a Real premium for it at Intro - $16K, IIRC. Traded it in for the '86 just as they were put n Clearance Prices - Paid $13,400 for that One, New.
Bought a Borla Exhaust system. Convinced a Muffler shop to make Me a "Test Pipe" to lose the Catalytic Converter. Drove that SVO from 1986 to 1994. Disconnect the Lil Hose to the Waste Gate, and the EFI could handle things well - up to an indicated 20+/- PSI indicated boooost on good Fuel! This was in Southern CaCaLand, before the CARB got nasty. Often had the Car well above 150 Indicated, going up 395 into the Desert. Had a Ton of Fun, RidgeRacing/Canyon Carving from Ontario over to Pasadena. Miss That Car.
Damn dude, that's a cool ass story!! Thanks for sharing that!! Big fox body guy here. I currently own a 1980 coupe with a mild 351w and a 5 speed.
Did it get light/sketchy at those speeds?
@@NathanaelNaused Because I had up powered the Car, it could go faster than stock. "Float" sensation occurred around 160 indicated...I generally avoided going that fast. Main Problem was BRAKES! Taken from the Lincoln parts Bin (I was told), they were only good for ONE Panic Stop from the elevated speeds that the Car was capable of, then required a few minutes of Cool-Down to return from "Fully Faded" condition.
@@guyskeer5411 That brake thing definitely makes sense. I don't recall old school mustang brakes being anything impressive.
@@guyskeer5411 You obviously recalibrated/refaced the speedo because it only went to 140. Brake fade and rear-steer were the 2 weaknesses of that car. Fade happened because the fluid boiled because the piston area is massive on those (73/54 mm). They create tremendous brake force. Friction. HEAT. Right pads, right fluid will stop that fade. At least on the street. Pistons need to be steel and the fronts need steel piston sleeve bushings to stop pad taper. Those brakes can be phenomenal if done right. Maximum Motorsports Panhard bar cures the rear steer.
It's 2024, the mustang has a 4 cylinder Turbo and Ghostbusters is once again, on the big screen
I’m expecting the new Ghostbusters to be just as bad as the 4 cylinder Mustang was… that car was a dog ( 80’s one don’t know about new one at all except the tech has improved immensely)
@@dominicmdet The Non Turbo yes. The SVO was not!
I drove them. My dad was top salesman at Valley Ford. Don’t buy the hipe. They came with s small turbo that Sucked. @@darkblaze176
I'll tell you what, the new Ecoboost Mustangs aren't the fastest but, they are still pretty nice. It would be cool to deck one out like the fastest Mustangs.
@@dominicmdetSpeak for yourself. I didn’t have the turbo 4 banger but the 4 banger and no it wasn’t no drag car but for a daily driver which mine was it was plenty. Out performed several of my 4 bangers in every way but fuel economy. The Samurai, and Saturns spanked it on gas mileage but it was quicker acceleration and response then the Saturns or Samurai or my old Ram50. Dog? Nah. If I could find a body with title already set up for the manual for a decent price I’d snatch it up and reclaim my youth, but maybe with a slant 6 or 289
In 1984 I was 23 years old and knew a guy with the 1984 SVO mustang. (for the time) It was fast. I had just bought my first new car, a 1984 Hurst/Olds. In stock form the SVO spanked my Hurst. But I added a 140hp NOS kit, bringing my Hurst to 320 hp. This finally took care of the SVO. All of this took place in Beaumont, Texas. I said I knew a guy with a 1984 SVO Mustang, I knew him from crossing paths in our cars and we did compete. But we never exchanged words, I never even knew his name. In 1984, that SVO and my Hurst were pretty fast for street cars of the time. It blows me away how far current day street cars have come, especially with horsepower numbers. Thankyou for featuring the SVO.
I know right, I have a 14 ats 2.0t stock it’s 272hp 260 tq and 0-60 in 5.7 140mph limiter. Not very expensive to get some decent power out of them either. I’m currently FBO running e50 making around 370 crank hp 380tq which is around 325 wheel hp 350tq and 0-60 in 4.3 and top speed limiter removed. No idea what it would top out at.
@@adamhayden5152 0-60 in 4.3 is very good, in the early '80's, a 0-60 in 4.3 seconds was an incredible number.
I was confronted with this very choice in 1985. The local Ford dealer had a couple of SVOs and some 5.0 GTs. I test drove both versions and picked the SVO. This was December of 85, so the cars were all 86 models. My SVO was Black with a grey cloth interior. I really enjoyed that car. Decent (for the time) power, low profile Goodyear Gatorbacks, adjustable Koni shocks, 4 wheel disc brakes, Hurst shifter, and Recaro-designed seats. It was my daily driver for six years, good times.
I had the younger cousin to the SVO, the 88 T-bird turbo coupe in 93 as a first car. Had a blast with it.
I had many Foxbodys but my 85 Dark Sage and 85.5 Medium Canyon Red SVOs were my favorites.
I had an 84 SVO. What a great car. I've also owned an 88 Mustang G.T. with the manual transmission. Both cars gave me no problems and where easy to work on and so much fun to drive. The SVO was special as it was out of the box thinking. I later owned a GMC Syclone pickup truck. These type of vehicles are for enthusiast with a more progressive outlook on performance. I've always owned and have a thing for turbo vehicles. They are a ton of fun to drive and own. If I had the money to build my dream car collection I would defiantly have an SVO in it
The SVO is pretty unknown and underrated, love 'em I have 2
My cousin had the 84 SVO, and I had an 86 GT in high school. That SVO was quick as hell, but I'm like you - nothing sounds like a 5.0... loved that car.
always loved the svo.. especially the 1986
My step dad had an 84. I used to take it out while my parents were on vacation and I was home alone. It was a smooth operator, definitely a very cool car
I had a 1984-1/2 SVO. Sold it to guy (with buy back option) that was engaged to my sister. Wedding never happened, never saw the car again. He won twice...got the car and avoided my train-wreck sister!! lol...
Did you mean 85-1/2?
Harsh 😂
Fckkkk.. 😂😆😂
I had a stock 1988 Merkur Xr4Ti. It had what looked to be the same engine as this SVO. But my Merkur had the automatic and I recall that they intentionally limited boost to keep the engine torque from destroying the auto transmission. Yet it was pretty fast, especially suited for high altitudes mountain roads. It had more turbo lag than modern turbos. And it was hard to work under the hood since that turbo got so hot. It was running great when I sold it for too little, since no one knew what it was. I wish I still had it.
I had an 85 XR4Ti (with an aftermarket FMIC) and an 86 SVO at the same time. The Merkur was far more solid and the best driver's car I've owned. If it had come with more power, a T5, and 4-wheel disc brakes, I'd probably still own it. I do still have the SVO after 32 years of ownership.
I sure wanted one odd looking but hauled ass
@@mchristr I have an 1986 ford Sierra rs cosworth 2.0 inline 4 turbo and it slays Porsche 911s and many modern so called sports cars 0-60mph 5secs tops out 155mph no slouch getting there lots arse out sideways on roundabouts odd violent flick steering wheel as dip clutch build boost up drop clutch steer out door window lol
My dad had an 84 SVO. It was incredibly quick compared to other normal cars I was diving at the time (mid 90s)
Some notable differences between the SVO and same model year V8 GTs were:
5 lug and wider wheels stock where GTs were 4 lug. 4 wheel disc, GTs still had rear drum. The rear suspension (as mentioned in the video) not only help handling but also reduced wheel hop and unintentional burnouts. Fuel injection while the GT was carbureted until 86. A MUCH tighter clutch that could shift with minimal pedal throw. A factory installed short-throw Hurst shifter.
A side benefit is that it was super easy to work on. While the turbo and especially the intercooler took up some space, this was still a 4 banger sitting in an engine bay meant for a V8.
My buddy had one of these in high school in 2005. Thing was friggin' hoot and would hold a curve rather impressively.
My 87 LX ran into one of these on the highway years ago, I was shocked how much power they must have because it was a close race and when we were toping out my 87 started to pull away slowly. 87 302HO has 300ft pound stock. I admired the dude for trying to run me circa 1989. Still drive the car to this day. Long live the fox body 302HO. Ford Tough
Still have my '84 SVO I bought from original owner back in 1999. Only 34k miles, garage kept, every record including window sticker from new!👍
yeah sure lol
An underrated car. The 2.3 was a great motor
Engine
@@mikeholland1031 both widely accepted
I have this engine in the back yard, non-turbo version.
Loved this video!!! Probably the best Mustang SVO video I've seen. VERY THOROUGH!! Thank you for your effort. You did this cult classic justice!! 👍👍
Thanks for creating this. Good effort. Very worthy topic. You got a lot right. A couple of corrections if I may: 1) Iacocca convinced Henry II to get back into racing in the early 1960s. That was the "Total Performance" campaign. He headed to Chrysler well before Caldwell and Peterson brought in Walter Hayes, who brought in Kranefuss and John Plant. 2) SVT was created in the early 90s and were only involved with specialty performance vehicles vs all racing operations and parts distribution. The only Ford entity that has had the scope of SVO is today's Ford Performance. They do what SVO did, not SVT. SVO was not "renamed SVT". Again, glad to see the piece. Well done.
Back in high school, my friend got an 84 or 85 turbo coupe. That was a slick ride back in the late 80’s. When that turbo spooled up, the howl was so loud that you first thought a cop was behind you!
Whoa Nellie!
When I was stationed in northern California, was leaving the Roseville (-Dale?) flea market.
Was driving in my truck and heard a "whiiir" behind us -
A black and gold SVO pulled up next to us.
While I was going "around high 60's" the driver in the SVO dropped a gear and took off like a shot.
My buddy and I was impressed.
my sister's boyfriend had a white SVO that was modified and when I rode in it and he dropped the hammer it sounded like a jet airplane. Somehow not sure if due to blow off valve or what but it was awesome
For some reason or listening to 'haters' lol, I NEVER saw this Turbo four-cylinder Mustang as nothing, I scorned it. This Is quite possibly the best video review that spoke so highly of it and has me now refocusing on it & appreciating it, I will take the two for 1994 lol, I will always love the v8 slower or not lol, but I will certainly put on my bucket list now, for a turbo four Mustang, I totally enjoyed this video, incredibly informative & thought-provoking. thanks for posting, iI will share it too.
Towed my old friends SVO back to his house. These are one of the best sounding I4 ever made imo. These cars with a forged bottom end with a top end to match,big turbo, man, ton of fun. I myself had an 89GT.
That was one tough little engine! Had one (N/A) that i built back in 84' and leave the 5.0 guys scratching their heads. Good times.
I've owned a bunch of foxbodies.Great video I especially liked the '86 GT in med.canyon red,that was one of my favorites.I had a poster when I was a teenager of the McLaren mustangs that I got from a local Firestone dealer.Those Mclarens were in my opinion the nicest looking fox and definitely the rarest of all foxbodies.
we had 84 and 86 SVOs They were ahead of thier time.
Definitely were - the ecoboost really wouldn't be a thing without them
Shame there was never a Cosworth Mustang.
Strange they never put a cossie pinto in it. 2L with 227hp standard, tunable to 500+
@@van_trippin5260I always think it was simply why. Turbo technology was to basic, you'd turn them into 4k plus power only. Imo why they didn't send the UK 2.8 v6 160 hp capri engine over and bolt a turbo on like turbo techniques did to get 230bhp out of them
They did, but it was a Mustang 2.
A lot of Cosworth's better known cars were from Ford Europe
Cosworth built a 16V head for the Sierra (also 2.3 Lima), but cost was prohibitive. 16V heads WERE in development by 1986 at closure. Most likely would have made production by '88, possibly '87. 225 CFM is attainable with the stock head.
I had one of those 85 1/2 Mustang SVO. They are lighting quick and corner like they are on rails.
Easily one of my favorite cars of all time. This coming from a former Viper owner. I wish I’d never sold that car.
SVO all day long. My brother has had 3 different turbo coupe thunderbirds because he loves the turbo 2.3. Nothing like a turbo to pump the blood
Had a 1984 GT turbo 5speed that got 35 mpg on the highway was definitely a surprisingly fast car off line
All GT mustangs had a 5.0 V8 and didn’t come with a turbo
83 and 84 had GT turbo 4cyl option called the GTturbo
@@Anubis-h5pno… they offered the turbo 2.3 on the GT four eyes for a couple years, v8 or Turbo then the SVO came out with an intercooled turbo 2.3. They offered the same non-intercooled turbo 2.3 engines in T-birds and Cougar’s from 1983-86 as well. When they stopped the SVO in 1986 they put the better intercooled turbos in the T-bird for 87-88.
@@Anubis-h5p Nope. In 1984 there was a GT Turbo that had the SVO engine, but was not an SVO. It had the GT brakes and no fancy shocks, etc. It was only an option 83-84.
I had an '86 SVO. Still miss that car. My girlfriend's, mom's boyfriend in 1983 was a Ford Engineer and drove a prototype to visit her and it was astounding at the time.
Awesome blue oval offerings, just as the GNs and Turbo TAs were from GM to open our eyes to forced induction and as alternatives to V8 power.
I enjoyed wrenching and tech-ing all the above... "boosting" my way into the aftermarket performance world in my late teen years, ca 1995. I helped design, R&D, then create production procedures as we produced a stainless header and downpipe along with wastegate and boost control setup, then a modified adjustable, billet-capped fuel pressure regulator for these little 4-banger 5-luggers at Applied Technologies and Research
My own Cheater-kitted 305 Monte SS wasn't a turd but when our SVO test mule was complete, I fell in love with the PULL swoosh PUULLLL swoosh PUUULLLLL of that lil force-fed Pinto heart with a leathered T5 knob in one hand
The 79-80 mustang draw through turbo 2.3 was Ford's first attempt at this. The SVO was fuel injected which eliminated some of the carb drawbacks. One was the exhaust bypass valve that killed turbo speed when you closed the throttle. Massive turbo lag and lackluster performance led to the discontinue after the small run in 1980.
The fox body SVO turbo Mustangs were really cool for the time period, and they looked great. I owned an '84 Mustang Cobra, '86 Mustang GT and a '92 Mustang Saleen but never had the opportunity to own an SVO Mustang.
Mustang never "ditched its V8" as your title says, but it did add a turbo 2.3 L. Those '86 SVO's were actually as quick as the 1st year fuel injected 5.0 L was. My first Mustang was an '85 GT, loved those "4 eyed" foxbodies. Once you put long tube headers, a Holley carb and an MSD ignition on the five oh it was lights out for the SVO though.
Those GTs came from Ford with Holley carbs. MSD didn't add any horsepower. Long tubes added very little power at all
@@edreynolds8721 It has been claimed that the old 2.3 block would withstand north of 600 hp when modified, which it was for certain classes of racing.
@@tonyelliott7734 Use of a non-emission Holley or Carter/Edelbrock AFB carb helped as would an aftermarket cam which were rapidly becoming available in many different grinds as people began to modify the 302, eventually leading to the 347 stroker as the 351 Windsor was a tight fit in a Fox body. Aluminum cylinder heads with big ports and 2.02 intake valves are still available for not a lot of money. All the stock iron heads needed a lot of porting to make them flow
@@donreinke5863
I agree. But that's not the comment I replied to. I've had so many Foxbody Mustangs, among others, I lost count. So I have a pretty good idea of what it took to make them fast and quick.
I had an 86 302. My friend has an 87 lx notch and he won the I stock class at the NHRA Northstar Nationals years ago.
Back in 1987 I bought my first new car. 21 years old and single. I made it through a check list. Down to the final two were the Mustang Svo And the Buick Regal T- Tyoe! I Bought the Buick!
I Would Still Love to Have one of these If I could ever Afford One Now.
Thank You for the Information!
I worked at Guy Laney Lincoln Mercury in Denton, Texas from '84 through '86. Guy Laney also had a Ford dealership in Decatur, 30 miles west of Denton. I was the chassis alignment guru then, and Denton had the only 4 wheel alignment rig in the area. I got to drive dozens of shiny new Mustangs and Capris (Mercury's fox body coupe), and I really liked the SVO better than the 5.0 GT's. SVO's handling and brakes were just that much better, even though the GT's were just a little quicker off the line. Good times, I'd still choose the SVO today 😁
Were you there after it became Denton County Motors?
@@genericsomethingNo, I started working at another local shop in '86, while taking courses for an Associates degree in electronics. I left automotive service in '88, working for the next 20 years in electronics manufacturing and product development 😁
2:35 oof spoked hubcaps 🥸🏆
One of the most enjoyable cars I’ve ever driven… not a quarter mile killer, but point it at a tight curve and it responded with hugging the road, the faster you went the more it liked it. Handled and responded like a shifter kart.
My dad had one of these. It was very fast for the time, had wide 16” tires, and way better suspension than the 5.0. I loved it.
Ive had a dozen fox bodies and one rare 5.0 and the svo was my favorite.
Driving an svo isn't even like a fox body.
They handled and stopped so good.
In the mid nineties I had an 86 SVO. It was a blast to drive and I drove the crap out of it.
Which would I take? Merkur XR4Ti -
A superior German version of the SVO.
Absolutely! My 85 had an incredibly solid chassis, and the excellent ergonomics were typical German. I sometimes wish I'd kept that car instead of my 86 SVO.
Guy at my local autocross has one. It's a beast.
I had an 86 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe back in high school. Wasn't a looker, but that thing screamed with the cat removed.
One of my dream cars!
I had a black 84 SVO. It was a hoot to drive and boost coming in while passing someone in the rain made it exciting. It was a very comfortable cruiser and I loved the rear dual wing
SVO i worked for a dealer ship in the 80's i use to prep the new cars for sale.. we got one of the first ever silver SVO stangs.. it sold while it was still on the delivery truck but the dealer ship tld the buyer he had to wait 30 days so we could show it off on the showroom floor.. he came down every couple of days to look at it.. it was fast for those days..turbo boosted pretty good.
Great video. Thanks for posting!
I've always liked these SVO Mustangs since they were new. A friends father worked at Ford and drove one of these for a while. It was a really cool car in 1984. That double rear spoiler just set it apart.
Well Done ... graphics, clips and editing were 8.5 out of 10 ✅ and the audio kept me completely interested from go to stop ... i could've watched another 5 mins of this and im a car enthusiast not necessarily a Mustang guy so, again well done.
Be Well
✌
Stay Safe
I have an 86 I bought back in 2019 and its a sneaky collector. I've had a bunch of 5.0s in my lifetime and none were as fun as my SVO somehow lol. This thing had 4 wheel disc brakes since inception and the 5.0s never thought of ditching the rear drums during its entire fox life. The SVO is a forgotten classic and I don't know if I'll ever sell mine.
Upgraded my '84 GT to a '86 SVO, should have never sold it... but I had that 5.0 itch! The SVO was a great car.
Here in Wales UK 🏴 I watched an American TV show called junkyard empire earlier this week and they put an ecoboost 2.3 turbo in an svo Mustang making it one of a kind apparently.
READ THIS COMMENT FOR QUICK INFO ON THESE 2.3'S
We used to be able to get aftermarket cylinder heads for these old sohc 2.3's...not anymore...the biggest achilles heal on these cars is the stock cylinder head, even when ported to the moon a stock 90s dsm head still outflows it...worst part is despite the new 2.3 ecoboost being a viable swap...these old 2.3 sohc are gaining popularity again and we dont have any proper aftermarket cylinder heads from esslinger anymore. Stinger performance makes a plug n play standalone self learning ecu for this car with an upgrade to turn your distributuor into a cam angle sensor so you can run LS coil pack ignition...the turbo engine internals are good for about 400 hp stock, as long as you change the oil the on time these engines will literally last forever and even with a slightly upgraded camshaft the engine will still be non interference so if the timing belt snaps it wont squish the valves...also the timing belt literally takes 15 min to replace on this car...the easiest timing belt replacement ever...also great gas mileage when cruising...truth be told i really hope this comment gets upvotes so we can have an aftermarket aluminum high flowing cylinder head again from esslinger
I traded emails with someone at Esslinger (new owner?) a few years ago asking if they would consider again making the D-port head. I told him that the 2.3 head core shortage would guarantee significant sales. He told me to stay tuned but I've heard nothing since.
@mchristr yup asked them as well a few years back but they told there's not enough demand, hopefully that changes due to the rising re-popularity of the 2.3 sohc with the younger crowds getting into modding
@@monikhushalpuri I recently emailed Brian at Esslinger asking what kind of demand it would it take to do a run of heads. He said it would require 20 firm orders to do a run of 30 heads.
@mchristr honestly seems reasonable, just emailed him again and he said he has cnc ported iron heads, waiting on flow numbers to see if it's worth it
Got an email back from him on the iron heads and it's not worth it Imo
235 cfm @ .600” on the intake side
180cfm @ .600” on the exhaust side
Would prefer some better flow at least 230 cfm intake at 400 lift minimum
As someone from the uk- that foxbody evolved nicely as it's life went on.
You could imagine havin one as an early one as a classic Gt cruiser and the later types as a 1/4 mile muncher (purely talkin cosmetics)
Question of which to buy, Mustang GT or Mustang SVO: if you compared the two in a test drive you'd be shocked at the handling capability. Out of the showroom the SVO could pull a 1.05G turn, which made it one of the best handling cars on the market. Sprinting away from 944 or a Corvette on a twisting mountain road was a blast. Slowing down for turns was 'an option'.
I traded in my 1983 GT Turbo for the 1986 SVO. I never even consider the V8 GTs of the era and never once regretted the extra cost. With the combination of power and turning, the SVO was a beast that was only matched by a handful of cars available at the time. I kept the car for 14 years, before giving it to my nephew.
Also, when not hot-rodding around (a rare event), I would regularly get 28 miles per gallon. Which is pretty good for a Mustang that weighed 300 lbs more than a GT (due to much heavier suspension).
I remember driving a brand new black SVO mustang back then,,i remember it didn’t seem fast at all to me! My 2024 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss turbo 4 cylinder has 310 hp 430#s of torque 0 to 60 in 6s, I also drove a new GMC cyclone back then and it was very fast but had to get a new 91 Silverado ext cab instead cause I had a family!
I had a 1986 svo loved that car wish I still had it.
I remember reading in a car magazine in 2006/2007 a guy bought one of these for $500.
He put in the 5 speed from the Thunderbird super coupe, the turbo from a Cummins diesel and the radiator from a truck.
He built it for $3000? And it was putting out about 600/650 horsepower.
He did have a good setup for suspension and brakes if I recall correctly, I just don’t remember what he had.
I think that was mike svo rinich, msvorinich, he was a pioneer of the holset turbos. His website was a regular read for me back in the mid 2000s
@@RogeriusRex the guy I read up on was at the time a twenty year old kid who didn’t want a riced out Honda civic and couldn’t afford a new mustang.
I owned a 79 1/2 cobra turbo that had a turbo charged pinto 4 cylinder from the factory. All numbers matching and was a royal pain to source parts for being that they only made the car for 6 months.
Mustang sports cars are hard to beat then & now. Have an 04 SVT Cobra & 18 GT350R in garage. Never selling them. Hopefully ordering new Mustang Dark Horse 🐎 this summer.
My buddy had a red '85 SVO, really good looking car that had some respectable kick. While it was cool the v8 Mustang exhaust note couldn't be beat.
the front suspension was really cool with longer lower control arms...
Ford kept SVO on a tight budget so they raided the Lincoln parts bin for brakes and suspension. Those front control arms weighed a ton and the k-member pick up points had to be narrowed to fit them. I tossed mine ages ago.
Had an SVO back in high school my brothers first car was an SVO also. Now we got 4 of them 😂
I had a 1984 Mustang Gt 302. From Downey to Vegas (280 miles) with a gas fill at the start, a gas fill and quick sit down lunch in Barstow, and full gas fill in Vegas. Total time, 3 1/2 hours. However, with the Michelin tires it would spin out 180% in rain! Did the SVO have good rain tires?
I had an '84 SVO. I put a quick ratio rack in it when the non-original replacement rack blew. Then the insulation started falling off all of the wires and I didn't have the time to fix it and sold the car. I still have some spare turbo related parts lying around. I'd love to find a 1991-1993 Lima to build a turbo 2.5L with those parts.
I had one .. great around corners and up to 60mph... had a lot of fun in it ..
But nothing beats a V8..
My cousin had an 85 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe with the same engine. That thing hauled a*s. 5 speed very good.
Another awesome video!!! I remember these SVO Mustangs when I was a kid. You should do the Thunderbird Turbo Couple also!!!
Very similar vehicle, also Fox body but heavier.
Back then I used to go to dealerships and play "prospective new car buyer" and drove all the hot cars. One evening I went to Sunnyvale Ford and they wanted me to first drive the regular Mustang turbo. What a turd. Worst example of turbo lag I've ever seen. Then we took the SVO for a spin - night and day difference, and yes, better performance than the 5.0 GT of the time. Handling was outstanding as well with the big wheels, Konis, and 4-wheel discs. Awesome overall balanced package - and I'm a Mopar guy.
Svo all day. Great vid.
I wanted one of these SVO Mustangs so bad at the time but I was only 19 and the dealership wouldn’t even let me test drive it and there is something so cool about a 4 cylinder turbo engine that makes as much power as the V8 and is also as fast as the V8 , it’s clearly an engine that is more advanced then the V8 when it’s less then half as big but makes the same power ! And the car looked cooler then the GT mustang and it had 4 wheel disc brakes and Koni shocks and the 16 inch or 17 inch wheels that the SVO came with and it had 5 lug wheels and the interior was cooler then the GT interior, the SVO was to me clearly not only more advanced but also was a car that was more serious about performance! To me the SVO was just a better and cooler than the GT mustang . What a cool car !
1979 ford had the 2.3l turbo in the mustang pace car edition and cobra
They took the same SVO setup 4-cylinder with the T5 transmission and put them in the 87 88 and 89 Thunderbird turbo coupes.
My parents bought a fully loaded 88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe new and that thing was more technologically advanced than most cars today
I think it would be cool to have one. Then do a resto-mod with the new Mustang's Ecoboost 4.
A buddy of mine had an SVO in high school. A cool car for the time, it didn’t get the same respect as the other guys with GT’s.
Here I am in my mid 40’s and I’d take a SVO over a 5.0 if I had to choose one or the other as it is such a unique and semi-rare car today.
A black 1986 SVO is my dream car.
Agreed
Find one while they're still affordable!
@@leokarasinski4217I will try
Mustang SVO!!! I'm getting older so I have gone from Dragstrip to Handling!? At the time I bought the Buick It Was Dragging and Comfort for High Speed Highway driving! Not to mention how it was a Sleeper back Then!
SVO for sure. 30 seconds worth of "free mods" and you'd have 18 psi of safe boost on the 85 and 86 that had the brown top injectors.
Good video! Am I seeing things but is the opening photo actor/playwright Tracy Letts who played Henry Ford II in Ford v Ferrari - and not Ford himself?
Reason why I'd have a 4-pot Mustang. There's something fascinating about smaller engines in "brute force" muscle cars when they get just as much power as the stock V8 would.
Back in early 1988 when I was in HS, I was shopping for my first car that would be an '83 or '84 GT because it was the best I could afford. Then a salesman shows me an '86 SVO they had at a very reasonable price, and that was it. $9k and I could get financing. Paid it off early and 2 years later it was totaled (not my fault). Got my purchase price back in full, too. Then I went lower budget on an '85 GT. Loved it too, but it seemed every month I was putting around $200 into repairs. SO, found a year old or so '88 GT with only 3k miles and bought it. That thing screamed until i sold it a few years later. Also had an '88 Turbo Coupe until that got totaled (that one was on me).
Had a 86 mustang 4 cylinder and 4 Speed but it was naturally aspirated. Still was peppy enough and it would roast both back tires and had a habit of walking the rear end right when burning out. Would leave matching check marks on the road
I had the SVO’s big well dressed brother. The 1983 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. The HP numbers were dramatically understated. I had it on a rolling dyno at 220 hp. That’s at the wheels. 0-60 was probably about the same, but I can lie to you and myself and say it was faster. That’s how I remember it anyway. It was fast AF in the 1980’s.
Left out the fact that the front K-Member and front A arms were special to the car.
The car used 14" wide front A arms vs the regular mustangs 13" wide ones which gave the car a slightly wider track width.
The 16" 5-lug SVO wheels had a substantially higher positive offset (low-mid 40s range) than the 14-15" 4-lug wheels, so most of that extra width compensated for more backspacing. Definitely more cool handling geometry at work there, of course.
My understanding is that the limited SVO development budget necessitated the Lincoln control arms and the narrower pick up points on the k-member. And they weighed a lot!
I own a 2017 Mustang GT but I definitely wanted an SVO back then. I would miss the 5.0 growl, but SVO look was 🔥.
My friend had the 84 4 cylinder turbo mustang. The thing was pretty quick. Just a little slower than the 5.0 as I remember and better in a twisty. 85 mph speedometer and it went way past that and around up to 20 or 30 mph before we got scared and backed off.
I had an 86 svo that was making 18 psi. It was so much fun to drive.
And just think, today's Mustang with the 2.3L four-cylinder Ecoboost can put out 315 HP and 350 ft/lbs of torque! Even the 2.0L Ecoboost in the Focus ST put out over 250 HP and 270 ft/lbs of torque for the 2018 model! These are incredible numbers considering how much tighter emissions standards have gotten since the 1980s.
I was in college in the 80s without the finances to buy either Mustang, but I appreciated both. I would have bought the GT, however, cause I didn’t trust the reliability of the turbos or the electronics. I’d had a European car from the mid 70s with electronic injection for a while and never could find anyone who knew how to make it run right. Ford bean counters seemed to have been pushing four cylinders for a while and the car buying public wasn’t drinking their fruity flavored powdered drink mix, so a cheaper yet reliable and powerful V-8 platform was going to beat out the high tech four cylinder. Especially when gas mileage wasn’t really that much better. Besides, in 1985, the 5.0 was a mix if old school and contemporary performance parts (Holly four barrel, aluminum intake, headers, roller cam, forged pistons…). I was gassing up my 351C powered Cougar one afternoon and an SVO pulled up to the pumps beside me. A blue collar guy was driving it. I asked how he liked it. He went down the list of complaints including premium fuel, real world gas mileage that wasn’t much better than the carbed rust bucket I was driving, and the NCT tires were expensive, didn’t wear well, and were sometimes hard to find. And insurance wasn’t cheap. Plus he had a high payment relative to the depreciated value. I’m sure if he’s still around, he could be telling his grand kids he had an SVO Mustang and it was fast. So all those things made for the SVO to become a valuable collector car. Incidentally, Ford’s first effort to ditch the Mustang V-8 was in 1974 when all you could bet in a Mustang II was a 2.3 four or a 2.8 V-6. They had to bring back the 302 in 75. Kind of ironic now that the Mustang is the only V-8 pony car game in town.
Back in H.S. I had an 87 Mustang 4cy n/a bought for $400. With the 4spd transmission. Eventually, it would have been swapped for a V8 any day. Still kind of miss it and didn't know the full history behind it at the time.
My first car was a 1984 Ford mustang, but it was naturally aspirated... My mom bought it off my aunt for $500, and I drove it like race care for exactly 72 hrs, before the timing belt slipped and toasted it.. then we traded it for a top loader out a Fairlane, for a 66 fastback... Still have the 66 and the top loader... :)
The 2.3 is non interference, all they had to do was slap on a new timing belt and tensioner and you'd be good to go, takes all of 15 min to change lol easiest timing belt job you'll ever do
l want both the SVO has potential for more and the 85 GT was the last of the carbed 5.0 which were alot of fun too :) that and you can mod those in your driveway all day long !! ALSO THE BEST LOOKING FOX BODIES OF THE 80s
I have an 84 turbo GT convertible that with a few bolt ones is about 300 HP.
Does need brakes and a new top but still runs fine
They were very cool in their day. The 1980s was a race to get horsepower back up after the 1970s fuel panic choke down and the regulations that came with it. Seeing stuff like this always makes me appreciate how far we've come. A modern, mid-trim, front wheel drive hatchback, such as a Golf GTI or similar, will absolutely cream this car in every conceivable way (with the exception of doing doughnuts), get low thirties MPG while doing it, and cost less (inflation adjusted). That absolutely blows my mind.
The SVOs only real liability was the factory 4-link rear suspension. With that fixed and an adjustable boost valve, the SVO could keep up with most modern compacts.
@@mchristr Yeah. Modern mid-trim economy compacts. That's my point.