Ford’s rare Mustang SVO has a tendency to hide out in storage – not necessarily as a future collector’s item, mind you, just “stored.” While some Mustangs are deliberately mothballed for the purpose of preserving future value, the SVO just seems to be put on the back burner by some owners. Regardless, they’re the most sporting of the turbocharged 80s FoMoCo products, and this example here on craigslist is fresh out of 16 years of storage.
This example doesn’t look nearly as neglected as some we’ve seen after years of storage, with an interior that shows leather buckets in good shape and the original three-spoke steering wheel with just some minor wear. Mileage is impressively low, at just 43,739. The shifter always seems too tall to me, but it’s also a reminder of what passed for acceptable in 1986.
The bi-plane spoiler was also found on the Merkur XR4Ti, which was another one of the platforms that received a derivative of the 2.3L turbocharged and intercooled mill. Paint work looks excellent for the age, with no major blemishes noted and deep luster still visible. The polished, flat-face wheels even retain some shine.
The engine bay looks clean with crisp lettering and paint details on the valve cover. No word on maintenance history, which is necessary on any car but particularly helpful on a performance vehicle such as this. The 16 years in storage may have kept the miles low but didn’t necessarily help with preserving hoses or seals, so some level of pre-purchase inspection is always recommended with cars like these. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Michael for the find.
My ’84 SVO was stored more than I drove it which is why I eventually sold it; amazing cars, but anything other than dry roads was an adventure and the cabin was a tight fit for my frame. The last trip I had in it was with my wife, she was eight months pregnant at the time, and the baby was kicking the entire ride. The XR4Ti wasn’t outfitted with an intercooler, it was similar to the ’83 to ’86 Turbo Tbirds in that regard.
Reading this add I feel like i just got off the phone with the X. SUNDAY!!! SUNDAY!!!SUNDAY GET YOUR SVO ON SUNDAY!!. Feel what I mean?
Cool car reasonably priced, these cars will be worth some money someday.
Lighten up Francis, just the basic facts of the car please. Without all the extra punctuation and the rest of it. I read car adds to relax, if I wanted drama I would start texting the x wife.
Feel ya Lroy ! Get’s a bit too serious here, I’m guilty of instigating (fun to get a rise out of the “know it all” regulars on here). I’m backing off for the purpose of fun.
Partial to this car. Nothing else compared at the time. Big risk, low reward. Showed Ford was the only US manufacturer willing to take the chance, the Highly successful Thunderbird turbo coupe was born from this iteration.
The tail lights look odd to me.
Aren’t they supposed to have black line going through them?
Miguel, yes those are the original tail lamps as delivered by Ford. I have a pair on my 1984 SVO if you want more pics to back it up. But the trim around and the line through the middle is supposed to be black. I have never seen ones with white like the ones in the picture.
I was a service manager at a Ford store when these were new. We never had a 5.0 Mustang come in for any warranty work. But the SVOs were a different story. But by the time the 1986s came out they were just as bullet proof as the V8 cars. I always liked the style and suspensions (with aftermarket Bilsteins instead of factory Konis) but thought that the 4cyl. was a little rough running. I wanted one with the 5.0 instead. I now have more of an appreciation for the whole package. So I have one of each. (SVO and a 5.0 LX)
both black.
Wayne, I know the lines were supposed to be there, but I had always seen them in black, as you have.
This begs the question, what happened to the tail lights?
The color of the framing and stripes on the taillamps of the 1986 cars were a shade of grey (The same as the rest of the trim on the SVO cars.) , these appear to be chalked out a bit on this car, application of some kind of black restorative chemical should bring them back to life.
Wayne, I also was working at Ford store when these came out (I owned an ’84 Turbo Coupe T-Bird at the time) These cars were, to put it mildly, very lively!
And Jeff, the tall shifter was a Hurst unit with a very nice action, you would have to drive one to see how nice it worked.
Awesome looking Mustang SVO. I remember when the Ford Mustang looked like this. I was too young to drive at the time, but I found the SVO to be the best looking Mustang of the time.
I know the later fox mustangs had 4-lug wheels, and I notice this one has 5- did they change in the middle somewhere, or is the 5-lug an SVO thing?
5-lug wheels and IRS were SVO-only. They took a long time to be available in later Mustangs.
SVO Mustangs (1984-1986) never had IRS. Solid 7.5 rear axle with disc brakes. And yes 5 lug was an SVO only spec. No 5 lug wheels on Fox body cars for a few years past these cars. Not even Turbo Coupe T-Birds. If you want to count Lincoln Mark VII as a Fox Body car. Then ok, 5 lug wheels.
Sorry. Been a long time. I was thinking of Rear Wheel Discs on SVO. Like my 77 BMW. IRC came later on. Thanks for correcting that.
Way before it’s time I had an 84 the wheels are different cause they’re 16 inch low profile.car had six adjustable mono shocks.they would top out at 140 and hold it.I loved mine but their right it’s squirly in the rain.
I remember when they came out new and could not figure why anyone would purchase one. They were more money than a GT Mustang and at the time a 4 cylinder in a Mustang was laughable even with a turbo to most people.