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No Reserve Survivor: 1986 Ford Mustang SVO

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Barn Finds reader Jim S. spotted this no-reserve auction for a clean 1986 Ford Mustang SVO here on eBay. Bidding is quite active already with nine days left in the auction, and I can see why: this is a very nice SVO, with a clean interior, largely unmarked exterior and no obvious indications of aftermarket modifications. 

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The turbocharged 4-cylinder remains in stock condition and is said to run well. I see a hose running alongside the intercooler that looks like it could use replacing, but nothing else too jarring. Obviously, you’ll want to make sure the car doesn’t display any unusual behaviors under boost. The presence of the original Koni shocks is a huge bonus, and SVO enthusiasts usually consider that a must-have on any inspection checklist.

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The presence of the original floor mats, shift knob and leather steering wheel is encouraging, though it looks like the leather on the SVO-specific wheel is staring to pull or ripple due to heat/age. The rest of the interior looks very good for the age, from the minty seating surfaces to the clean, clear gauges. The headliner can be a common wear issue but isn’t sagging in this car.

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Overall, I don’t doubt the seller that this one is as good as it looks. The dual-level rear spoiler isn’t cracked or sagging and the original alloy wheels are in good shape with new tires. This SVO has only 66,000 original miles and appears to have resided in dry, desert states most of its life, so rust is likely a non-issue. If space and money were both infinite, I’d be tempted by this limited-production Mustang – what about you?

Comments

  1. Avatar krash

    cool car…(bummer about the 85 mph speedo….a sign of the times)

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Richard

    I had one of these back in the day. As I recall it was a non turbo 5.0. One day I was at a light next to some other antagonistic fast type car. The light was red, waiting for the light to change both motors revved. The light turned green I popped the clutch the car lunged forward……then knock knock knock…….I threw something internally in the engine. Guess what! The crank broke in half!……turns. out it is a factory weakness.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Warren

      SVOs only had the 2.3….

      Like 0
    • Avatar Karl T

      As noted, they were a 2.3 OHC Turbo only
      Never heard of problems with the 5.0 cranks during the 5 years I had an ’87 coupe.

      Like 1
    • Avatar MikeW

      You evidently didn’t have a SVO, they have a very strong 4 cylinder turbocharged engine that has a forged crank and is hand assembled at Ford. and to Krash, they had a 140 speedo with the numbers left off above 85, but you could get decals to replace the missing numbers. One more thing about the speedo, it only goes to 99,999 so there’s a good chance it turned over. The low mileage with have to be proved with service records. As to the shifter, the 84 had the long throw, this 86 should have a very nice short throw Hurst

      Like 0
  3. Avatar AMC STEVE

    Very nice, I wonder what it will bring?

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Rich

    That “hose” looks like the insulation on the air conditioning line to me. Otherwise it looks pretty good.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Moxman

    This is a super-nice example of this car. As the new owner of a 2015 Ecoboost Mustang, I’d like to have one of these too; just to be able to compare and enjoy the old vs. the new.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar ydnar

    One of the few “progressive” Mustangs I like, the one I test drove had a very notchy
    shifter, or I would have bought it.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Rocco

      How about a ’95 Cobra “R” Mustang? They come with a 351ci/5.8L engine.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Sukey

    Sweet

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Captnfrank

    Probably was a 255.They had hallow lightweight cranks,looked like a 302

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Paul R

    The little 2.3 Ford was a great engine especially compared to the Chevy Vega 4 banger at the time. Saw a lot of “Mini-Stocker” circle track cars powered with them and they were fast.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Todd Zuercher

    I still want one of these one day. I drove my boss’s car (identical to this one) a few years ago and was disappointed in the size of the footbox. My ’86 GT didn’t seem to have the same issue.

    This must be a flipper – the car still has AZ plates but is for sale in Vegas. I don’t see very many here in AZ.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar MikeW

    The foot box might feel smaller because the SVO was the first to have a dead pedal to rest your foot on. . Like my 2000 GT.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar jim s

    sold for $ 9600

    Like 0
  13. Avatar MikeW

    That’s very tempting :) I wonder if I could get one of those free flights to Vegas. added, I still have my shift knob and Koni key.

    Like 0

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