GTP Cool Wall: 1984-1986 Ford Mustang SVO

1984-1986 Ford Mustang SVO

  • Total voters
    117
  • Poll closed .
White & Nerdy

White & Nerdy

4,209
United States
Wasilla, AK
1984-1986 Ford Mustang SVO nominated by buickgnx88

mump_1002_01_o%2Bford_mustang_svo%2Bmustang.jpg


Stats:
Production: 1984-1986
Style: 3-door hatchback
Engine: LL23 140 ci/2,301 cc turbocharged OHC inline 4 (rated 175 HP & 210 lb-ft in 1984-1985 form, 205 HP & 248 lb-ft in 1985.5 form, and 200 HP & 240 lb-ft in 1986 form)
Transmission: 5-speed manual transmission:
Layout: Front-engine, Rear-drive
Related: Ford Fairmont, Ford LTD, Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Capri, Mercury Zephyr, Mercury Marquis, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Continental, Lincoln Mark VII​

My take? Not really sure. A collector-car value guide once said of it "an honest attempt at a more 'European' Mustang, but failed because its concept was a contradiction in terms." I tend to agree with this: the Mustang, perhaps more than any other car, is America in car form. A turbo four and Euro aesthetic modifications just don't fit into that. But despite that, I really can't quite bring myself to vote it uncool.
 
Gains points for being a rare Mustang these days and desired by collectors. Also gains them for trying a different engine instead of another V8.

Loses them for not looking very nice compared to the others. It's a cool from me, but just.
 
People don't know what it is, which is cool. Said people asking you what it is isn't cool at all.

Also 4-cylinder RWD hatchback which is a pleasent change to your typically ungainly overpowered V8 drag beast.

Very low cool.
 
It's a Fox-Body Mustang that's not going to attract some dude with a mullet and a wife beater on, that alone makes it cool. If it wasn't from the 80's it would be sub-zero, but that's probably the least cool decade ever.
 
A mild cool. It's a fox body which was the last properly good looking Mustang until the current and 2015 models came along. The 4-pot motor would have made a lot of sense if it had been sold in Europe back then.
 
Fox bodies are an underappreciated drifters dream. I'm not sure where that puts it really.

Over here, if you drift - you're cool. Simple as - it's bizarre how people react to me telling them that I drift in my spare time, they go from perfectly rational human beings to fanboys/girls.

So.. I guess it's a cool? even if it's "Not a real mustang" much like the 180SX (240) it's an entry level key to getting sideways.
 
Sub-Zero on account of being powered by a tractor motor with a turbo charger.

The Pinto/Lima 2.3 OHC is a horrible engine in the absolute best way possible. It's completely unrefined, doesn't make too great of noises, and in naturally aspirated form made just north of no power. However, absolutely nothing kills it. Timing belt snaps? Reset timing, put another on, good to go. Oh, you went stupid with boost? Yeah, that 400hp you're making? Not gonna kill it either.

It makes power like an SR20DET while being completely unable to rev due to horrible head flow. It's awesome, and it's in a Mustang built to handle and ride well.
 
Solid Cool.

It's a Mustang, so it starts out cool.

I got a 1984 SVO road test from Road & Track. They found it could out accelerate a 280Z, and out corner a Ferrari 308 and Porsche 944 of the time.

The price (when new) keeps it out of S-Z range. SVO's cost ~$6,000 more than a GT with a V8, over 50% more than a GT. Ultimately why it didn't sell well and Ford pulled the plug on it after 3 years.

Ford bet heavily on another OPEC shortage and gas prices soaring in the 80's (they actually fell) and lost.
 
Straightforward cool, on gut feeling. It's a nice, fun, relatively compact car that doesn't look too shabby and doesn't mark you out as an idiot.

Also, it gets brownie points with me for having nice wheels.
 
Irecently spent some quality time with one of a handful of SVOs in Mexico -and the only Competition Prep package in the country, mind you- shooting it for the magazine, and was surprised at how different everything was from a "normal" Fox Mustang. Ford really put effort into this car and it showed in how it rode and -specially- cornered, and the acceleration was pretty good, peeling out into second every damn time. Black too. And I just love cars that have specific bits to them like that ridiculous double-plane rear spoiler or that damned awesome hood.

Really cool car, verging on sub zero. The only thing keeping it from sub zero is that it's a freaking Mustang.
 
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I actually like this body style; they look better than later Mustangs until the 2000s, and definitely better than what came immediately before. Plus, they can do just about anything with the right modifications (without having to rebuild the entire car just to do it, too!), so it's not like you're locked into one specific type of driving or racing. From a car guy point of view, something like that's pretty freaking cool. The regular ones are a solid cool, but nothing really special.

This one is cooler than the regular ones, but doesn't get anywhere near Sub Zero. Cool.


Famine
Fox Body Mustang. The least cool version of the least cool way of getting about.
Click to expand...

No way, those Camaros and Firebirds from the early 80s are at least ten times as uncool as this.
 
Adamgp
I got a 1984 SVO road test from Road & Track. They found it could out accelerate a 280Z, and out corner a Ferrari 308 and Porsche 944 of the time.
Click to expand...

When they say 'out corner' they really mean 'get better figures on a slalom course or circular skid-pan' Doesn't mean it doesn't handle like crap.

Quite like the fox body. It was a Mustang that neither tried too hard to be retro or was just a styling abomination like the 2nd and 4th generation were. It did it's own thing, just like the earlier 1st gen ones were.

My knee-jerk reaction gave it an uncool. But on reflection i'd probably give it a solid meh/borderline cool. Shame it had the wrong Pinto-blocked turbo under the hood.
 
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The SVO gets a solid cool simply because it was a forward-thinking car in a time period where, well, you either maintained the status quo, or tried something new (and usually failed). Although the SVO was not long for this world, between it and the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, they offered up some very interesting performance models for the era, and eventually lead to the creation of a full-fledged SVT program at Ford.
 
TheCracker
When they say 'out corner' they really mean 'get better figures on a slalom course or circular skid-pan' Doesn't mean it doesn't handle like crap.
Click to expand...

The SVO managed to match or best the handling test numbers obtained by the 944 and the 308, two of the best handling cars of the day. Great for the time, not so good by today's standards.
 
Adamgp
The SVO managed to match or best the handling test numbers obtained by the 944 and the 308, two of the best handling cars of the day.
Click to expand...
Relevant bit bolded. Cracker's point is that having the highest g-force rating or slalom time doesn't necessarily equate to best "handling", it just means it has good grip.

"Handling" is a much more organic concept comprising stuff like body control, balance and adjustability, steering feel and response etc. All "numbers" are is a way of displaying things measured with a stopwatch. Good numbers can be achieved by putting sticky tires on a crap car. Good handling cannot.

Though feel free to disregard if Road & Track rates things like steering feel with a numeric system for some reason.
 

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