When The Mustang Ditched Its V8 For A Turbo 4
In this Rare Cars documentary, we are going over the story of the fabled 4-cylinder turbocharged SVO Foxbody Mustang.
This 2.3L DOHC V10 was built by the Ford SVO team as the next generation of high-performance Ford engines in an era that was defined by emissions regulations, and it had all the potential to dethrone the V8 at the time.
But as we know today, the SVO Mustang didn't dethrone the V8, in fact in lots of ways it was one of the reasons that the V8 itself stayed in the Mustang until this very day. This is the story of the iconic Mustang SVO.
*Note, we are not historians. If you see an error in our research then please mention it in the comments!
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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 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 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.
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.
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 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.
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 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
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 had many Foxbodys but my 85 Dark Sage and 85.5 Medium Canyon Red SVOs were my favorites.
always loved the svo.. especially the 1986
An underrated car. The 2.3 was a great motor
Engine
@@mikeholland1031 both widely accepted
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!
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
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.
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.
2.3 4cyl. Probably the best motor Ford ever made.
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.
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.
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.
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
@@user-ik3wq4qh9kno… 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.
@@user-ik3wq4qh9k 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.
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 4 cylinders were also the same ones used in the Pinto and were the most bullet proof 4 cylinder ever made. I know someone who has it in a Pinto set up for the drag strip. 9 inch rear, exhaust, a different carb, huge tires out back and a lot of nos and the engine is still running fine after 20 years of abuse. I don't care tho, I love v8's and those old 5.0's.
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.
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
My buddy had one of these in high school in 2005. Thing was friggin' hoot and would hold a curve rather impressively.
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.
we had 84 and 86 SVOs They were ahead of thier time.
Definitely were - the ecoboost really wouldn't be a thing without them
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.
I had an 86 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe back in high school. Wasn't a looker, but that thing screamed with the cat removed.
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
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 SVOs were cool but you must keep in mind that era's 5.0 Mustangs, as well as the Camoros & Firebirds with the 350 V8 of the same era, had so many upgrades that were commonly done to drastically improve performance that more than surpass the SVO. However, SVOs are very rare now from not low productions numbers. About 15 years ago, I was trying find SVO for a friend but almost all of them either had engine swap or a blown turbo. I am not sure if it was american turbos of the 80s & 90s having issues supplying oil to the turbos at start up or that most owners didn't undestand how doing regular oil changes with good oils was critical with turbos (was synthetics available then?)
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.
If I had a choice I would choose the GT 5.0 Mustang. The 4cyl SVO was an awesome ahead of its time creation however the pure American Sound of the 5.0 Mustang can never be replaced.
I agree I would go for a v8 - period mods you could get probably 300hp out of it which is enough to have some fun in a Fox
Great video. Thanks for posting!
The SVO is pretty unknown and underrated, love 'em I have 2
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.
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.
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!👍
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 😁
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.
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.
2:35 oof spoked hubcaps 🥸🏆
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.
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.
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
My cousin had an 85 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe with the same engine. That thing hauled a*s. 5 speed very good.
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
One of my dream cars!
Guy at my local autocross has one. It's a beast.
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.
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.
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 🔥.
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.
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.
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 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).
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.
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.
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.
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!
In the mid nineties I had an 86 SVO. It was a blast to drive and I drove the crap out of it.
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!
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.
My brother had a 1986 5.0. Great car. His buddy had a turbo 4 cylinder stang. He bragged about how fast it was. My brother blew him off with his 5.0 every single time. They decided to switch. My brother got in the 4 banger and beat his 5.0 every time. The other guy was pissed. He was terrible at stick. They tried it with their motorcycles also. Same results
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.
Today I drive a Challenger Hellcat, its a fun car, however the most impressive car I have ever owned for complete balance and weighted performance was the 87 Merkur Xr4ti with a 2.3 Ford Turbo and 5 speed.
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
Had an SVO back in high school my brothers first car was an SVO also. Now we got 4 of them 😂
I had an 86 svo that was making 18 psi. It was so much fun to drive.
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.
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!
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.
The 84 SVO has rear Traction bars also known as Slapper bars to help stiffen the rear. Only 4508 84 SVOs were made for the model year across US and global release. As an owner of a hopped up 84 SVO with more than 400hp, these cars handle well and Scoot across the road!
They had the same setup on early GT's prior to the Quad-shock thing, I think. It seemed like whoever came up with that didn't understand how a 4 link (even one this bad), is supposed to work.
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 all day. Great vid.
I think the mustang is probably the most unique muscle car if you consider just how many different iterations of the mustang that have been previously made through out its history, shoot they even made a mustang truck its kinda crazy.
Tbh, you gave the 0-60 numbers for the first year of the SVO which is correct however they eventually got that down to 0-60mph to 6.6 Seconds .
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
when mazda and ford were together they almost killed the mustang project, if my memory serves me right, it was the ford probe that was to take it's place. i had a 1989 probe with just a basic 4 cylinder engine, but i think it was a mazda powertrain. i could be right or wrong here, not sure if i am correct. lasted me for almost 10 years before the body rotted out. nice vid on the turbo4cyl! never new that until now. thank you.
The Probe was intended to be the fourth gen Mustang, but when the word got out the outrage and pushback from the Mustang community was swift and decisive… and this was long before the Internet was anything but niche, which makes it all the more impressive because people actually had to write Ford snail-mail and/or actually call in long-distance to let their displeasure at the idea of the Mustang becoming a FWD, Mazda-based 4/6 cylinder be known. Because of that, the OG 3rd gen Fox-body Mustang soldiered on for another half-decade until Ford was able to update it in 1994.
@@phantom0456 94-04 was still a Fox underneath. I had a 98 Mustang GT. I missed my 93 Probe GT the whole time. Ended up getting a 94 Probe GT 15 years ago now.
@@pgtmr2713my dad bought a black 89 turbo Probe GT new. When the turbo kicked in jt would shove you back in the seat pretty good. Even though it was only like 150 HP. He never let me drive it when I got my license though. :(
@@franciscodanconia4324 They had more tq. with the turbo 4. I liked the 6 cyl. 2nd gen. for the engine sounds, the looks. I did the KLZE swap and MAF swap, so it it's a little over 200 hp, don't know what the tq would be. Under 6 to 60 with no turbo. No tq steer off the line but as it gets into the rpms it pulls off center. The stock engine didn't do that.
Keep in mind at that point in time.That was the popular thing to do fwd sport coupes were hot and Honda was printing money with the crx a dressed up civic
I had a 14 second 88 T Coupe. Fun car.
I wonder what it would have been if it were updated with todays turbo technology ? A huge Garrett , Artec manifold , hks blow off , huge front mount intercooler , cams , bigger injectors !
The Thunderbird, also a Fox body vehicle, had the turbo 4 until 1988.... the last two years being intercooled.
There’s a current turbo mustang. 2.3 turbo modern technology.
@@adonian i aint talking about a new car dude ! Duh ! And you don't think that I know that !
@@adonian im talking about taking one of those turbo Mustangs and putting updated turbo and things on a old car !
@@shannacollins4741 definitely do able.
The bi-wing rear was pretty cool.
"The early 2.3 turbo's only made 132hp which was barely more yhen naturally asperated". What? Thats about 50hp more then the n.a. version, which was 80hp. Thats a 160% increase in power.
I pick the 85 GT because that what happened in 1988 when I purchased my first car. I would chew up SVOs with the GT with no issue back then. I did like the pump up SVO seats though.
Still have the one I bought in 86.
To put power numbers in perspective I had a 81 trans am in highschool that had the Chevy 305 rated for 145hp. It ate it's cam and I put in a 450hp 350 with a 700r4 I found at school. Suspension was falling apart and I got rid of it for $200 keeping the motor and trans. Really wish I had kept it 😢 it's interior was mint. (Body rust free but dented 3 of the 4 corners...) I picked up a 1990 sunbird gt after that running a hybrid turbo 200hp 2.0l. Fun car till it spun it's main bearing😮
I was in college at the time, and all I could do was wish for an SVO. I followed every moment of the SVO lifespan, but college expenses won out. 😢 If there’s any car I would have desired to purchase in the 80s. It would’ve been a mustang SVO, 2015 to be specific.
@10:28 that is an excellent example, very clean. I like everything about it. I see it has 5 lug, I know some mustangs had 4 lugs.. not sure when they switched and why..
The SVO Mustang used the Fox Lincoln Continental suspension, K member, lower arms, Spindles, and rear axle with the disks . The Conti had a wider track, the engine sat 1.5" lower than in the other fox bodies and had 5 lug wheels The SVO stang was built as road racer. Back in the day the go to swap was to gut suspension out the GT Stang and swap in Connie bits with Eibach springs and sway bar. This converted the GT's mediocre handling to rail like handling.. This swap was also a good for all other Fox bodies done more than few back in the day Box Cougars LTD LX's 2 door Fairmonts. T birds etc etc. The handling and ride improvement was huge, this should have become the standard suspension in the Stang's....
@@matthewq4b Exactly. Great post.
A black 1986 SVO is my dream car.
Agreed
Find one while they're still affordable!
@@leokarasinski4217I will try
Back in the eighties, Ford ran a four cylinder turbo mustang, in SCCA & GTA, It made a little over 500h.p, The thing was a beast.
The early 90's Whistler IMSA Mustang was probably the latest and greatest iteration of the 2.3 Lima. The Roush-prepped 2.5 was rated at a conservative 700hp in race trim.
I had a buddy that had a thunderbird supercoupe with the 4 cylinder 5 speed, he lost his license in it and had me drive him around in it for a summer as teenagers, i only got on it once racing a 67 couger xr7 with a 351 and a four speed, we won nut just barely and most of that was because we hooked up way better while he was baking the tires, and light to light the hole shot matters, also had another buddy who had a Mercury capri with that same motor and trans, but if im not mistaken the capri was was a carbureted turbo 4 cylinder, because it ran fine untill you got into boost and it fell on its face and would just about completely die, and if i remember right it was the carburetor that was causing it and it was expensive for the time and for a couple of teenagers, bet they both wish they still had them
I would absolutely love to watch that entire race. That white 1 Ga gsx surprised a lot of people and probably did better than everyone there thought. A brand new 4g63t is nothing nice.
I owned a very early production 84 SVO, I should have hung on to that one!.
5:23 the footage used when describing the 1983 lineup has a first gen Eagle Talon on the screen 😂(1990-94 car)
Dick Johnsons Greens Tuf Mustang was one of the best looking touring cars here in Australia in the mid 80's..
The Sanyo Mustang at 10.03 was a 5.0GT Group A car raced in Australia.
Id go with the SVO over the v8 of that year as well. I have an 87 Turbocoupe Thunderbird that has the same power plant as the SVO albeit a bit more refined. Very cool cars.
I lusted after the SVO back when it was introduced in '84, but on a E-5 sailor salary and having a wife and kid, it was out of reach. I had to "settle" for a modded '82 Mustang GT. Fun car, sure wish I had it back.