In 1981, Ford formed the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) group to design and develop performance parts and accessories related to the company's racing programs.
The group also built a special model to showcase these parts, the Ford Mustang SVO. The SVO Mustang was designed to compete directly with European sports sedans like BMW's 3 Series. To reduce costs, they used the existing 2.3 L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and Borg-Warner T-5 5-speed manual transmission from the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. The car had a different computer and air meter and added an intercooler, a Hurst shifter, KONI shock absorbers, and 16 inch wheels, a novelty at the time. The car produced 175 hp (130 kW) for the 1984 model year (MY) and the first part of the 1985 MY, 205 hp (152 kW) after mid-1985 MY, and 200 hp (149 kW) for the 1986 MY. In total, 9,844 were built.
SVO/Ford Motorsports was later renamed Ford Racing Technology (FRT).
Read more about Special Vehicle Operations: SVO Australia
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