The turbo Fords of the 80s continue to strike me as a hugely under-appreciated segment of American collector vehicles. We actually just sold the turbocharged and intercooled Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe out of the large Georgia collection listed here as a Barn Finds Exclusive, and I suspect cars like this 1985.5 Mustang SVO will soon be on the up and up – they’re just too good, offering impressive performance, limited production, and comfortable interiors that make it a treat to drive to work. Find this rare transition year model of the SVO here on craigslist for $14,495, and thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the find.
Now, the 1985.5 Mustang SVOs were particularly special cars, thanks to the fact that many SVO enthusiasts consider it the best of everything when it comes to SVO ownership. The flush, “aero” headlights were now the standard design, which some considered a big improvement over the recessed units of the earlier model. But the big story was the performance enhancements dialed into the 85.5’s, which included more boost, bigger injectors, dual exhausts, and a revised intake manifold. These changes, along with several others, delivered 205 b.h.p. and 240 lb.-ft. of torque. Just 439 are believed to have been built.
The interior looks quite fresh, way better than you’d expect for an odometer reading of 92,500. That’s because the front seats have been re-trimmed along with the classic three-spoke SVO steering wheel. Even without those improvements, the SVO’s cabin still presents incredibly well for a car that hasn’t been locked away in storage. The seller notes the A/C still blows cold and that it even retains the factory cassette deck. The dash doesn’t appear to show any cracks and the door panels look mint. Listing photos also show a cargo bay that looks like it’s never had any actual cargo.
Under hood looks quite clean, and that massive intercooler sitting beneath the hood scoop will always make me feel warm inside when gazing at a classic turbo Ford. The seller notes that mechanically, the suspension has been refreshed including new tires and brakes, and that it retains the factory Koni shocks and struts. One of the big turn-offs to the Thunderbird I mentioned was the electronic suspension with no suitable replacement parts; with an SVO, grab some new Koni adjustables and go racing. SVOs like this are the one to buy if you’re thinking of grabbing a 5.0 alternative.
Remember they also built these in ’86. I drove one of these back in ’85 when I worked at a Ford dealership. They were dogs till 3K RPM’s. They did handle well though. Now put today’s technology into this car then sit down, shut up, and hang on!
I saw the svo’s on the assembly line in late 83/early 84. Some ford exec came to our school for 4h or some similar program and took the class to the plant. Don LeComb was his name.
The SVO could be considered to have been ahead of its time. I wonder if the engineers and product folks working on this car back in the 80’s ever thought that turbo four cylinders would be staples of cars a few decades in the future.
Nice example, especially for the mileage, price might be a touch high.
Never could understand why Ford thought they needed five lug wheels on the SVO and just four on the 5.0. Dunno. Sure there was a reason. And no it didn’t make so much power that needed an extra wheel lug. No one was loosing wheels!
In production only three years and more then expensive than the 5.0 it is easy to figure out why they stopped development. They should have put the effort into the Probe and made it a stand alone performance car of it’s own. Then they would have had a jump on the tuner market that was about to happen. Or simply give us Americans the Cosworth RS. They would have owned the tuner market.
Ford did nothing but confuse it’s Mustang buyers. Base 4cyl. was for economy. The 5.0 V8 was the performance car. I remember in the early 1980’s the 5.0 was the Mustang was making headlines as the fastest poney car even beating the Corvette. But hold up. A 4cyl Turbo is now the ultimate performance car? You are telling your buyer one thing then saying another.
They are an odd footnote in Mustang history and I don’t think I will grab my 401K money to buy one. I would always pick a 5.0 in GT flavor. But if I really had to decide over say a Mustang II and an SVO then Yes. I would take one.
I guess.
no road test had the mustang beat the corvette, unless it was published by ford
@AMCFAN The reason for the four to five-lug change was the SVO used suspension and brake components from the Lincoln MKVII as they were the only parts in the Fox chassis bin that were able to have four wheel discs fitted to them. The next Fox Mustang to feature four wheel disc-also with five-lug wheels was the 1993 Cobra. From then on the Fox 4 cars (1994-2004 Mustangs) had four wheel discs with five lugs as standard fitment.
Are there other mustangs set to come out of this collection? I lusted after a late eighties 5.0 in high school and miss my 96 Mustang Convertible that I had in the late nineties. Must be a stick with low mileage. I live in Georgia, too.
My 5.0 alternative is my 90 Mustang LX turbo swap – 2.3 turbo from 1984 Turbo Coupe (approximately 90k) with 1988 injectors, VAM, and computer. It’s a 5 spd and 3-stage clutch and fun to drive! Boost set at 12, but it can be set to a bit above 20 the seller had told me which he gave me an example of it set at 22. When he punched the gas peddle, immediately we were thrusted backwards into the seats. I am happy with the boost at 12 though – Rocky Mountain High :)
A better alternative if you want real power for your Fox is the 2.0 Mitsubishi 4G63 swap. A common thing is guys take out the 5.0 and do this swap. One is making 950 at the wheels. Of coarse this is a full on race car. Many posts of this Orange beast at DSMtuners.com vids at 1320.
We have a 1995 GST 4G63 Eclipse that has only bolt on parts 16G Evo turbo and hard piping and a few other tweaks and is making right around an easy 400. Everything else is stock. Truly amazing the power a 2.0 Mitsu makes with only the volume from a soda bottle!