The Underappreciated Fox Mustang
So, I saw a comment by someone on Facebook stating “The SVO was the Mach E of the 1980's Change my mind. Lol”. This was coming from someone who claims to have owned over a dozen SVOs...which makes me wonder if they even ran and obviously, he has never driven them in any sort of performance event. For someone to claim to have owned so many SVO's it seems he completely missed the technology of the time put into these cars and his response when challenged was always “I know you're passionate about these cars” ...Passion about the cars has nothing to do with it. I started in responding to him by stating not even close, the SVO was the Ecoboost of the 80's and he stated that he agreed with that...how can you agree with that but compare it to the Mach E?!? there is no comparison. The Mach E isn't even in the same class in purpose as the SVO was in its introduction.
This went on and I brought about the facts that the SVO was a failure because it was ahead of its time...combined with the inability of Ford Salespeople to sell to a European customer. Americans have a caveman mentality when it comes to their pony cars and then and much now it's “If it ain't got a V8 then it ain't worth having!”. Ford Executives were among that mindset too when their mindset was that the SVO could not make more power than the GT. The 1987 SVO prototype engine that was a DOHC design that made 300HP at 10lbs of boost would have been a game changer but the higher sticker price and reluctance of the American consumer along with the fear of Turbos in the 1980's was the end of the line for the SVO.
Fast forward to today.... I still maintain that until someone drives an SVO, they have no idea what these cars are and once they drive one, they gain an understanding and appreciation for them. The platform is the same as the V8 Fox but it's a completely different driving experience. I own both and depending on my mood and if I want to drive twisty back roads or play stoplight wars decides which car I am going to drive.
Fox Values have skyrocketed making most of them unaffordable to many...but the SVO is still underappreciated, and a bargain buy in the Fox world. If you are in this hobby as an enthusiast, then this is great news as the SVO is still affordable to enjoy...sure we have our parts availability challenges but try to buy just a Driver quality Saleen Mustang these days...you're in the mid 20K to 30K territory...for a Mustang LX with really not a lot done and a body kit held on with tape and screws and zip ties. It's got uncomfortable FloFit seats and lowering springs. It's an iconic look of the time but it has NOWHERE near the technology that went into the SVO. The Saleen had Monroe shocks, the SVO had Konis...night and day difference. But even with our parts availability challenges, the Saleen camp experiences the same. If you think SVO lights are expensive, try buying NOS front lights for an 87-93 Mustang...$2500-$3500 have been the listing prices lately.... it's a crazy time for Fox Mustang fans.
So, hang in there and enjoy your SVO, while it seems the collectors have ignored us for the moment, we are in a position in the Fox hobby where our cars are not out of reach. SVO values are going up though, in the past few years low mileage examples have been going higher and we have seen some get into the upper 20K to 30K asking prices so I believe they will go higher but still today much like the mid 80's there is a lot of ignorance out there when it comes to the SVO Mustang and that almost always is contributed to misinformation and lack of exposure. As for our friend who claims he has owned over a dozen...I wonder if they were parts cars because I don't know anyone who has driven an SVO to its limits to think that way. As far as the Mach E comparison...that's like comparing a Ferrari with a G wagon.
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