Special Vehicle Operations

See also: Special Vehicle Team

Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) is a term used throughout Ford's global operations as a performance group, first used in America as Ford's own "speed shop," with a separate budget from Ford's regular operations. In 1993, the group was renamed Special Vehicle Team.

SVO America

In 1981, Ford formed the SVO group to design and develop performance parts and accessories related to the company's racing programs. SVO was involved in three separate assignments:

• Motorsports programs
• Expand Ford racing and establish a performance parts business
• Produce road cars

Racing

SVO turned its attention to building Mustangs for the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am and International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) GT series. With engine builder Jack Roush now involved the factory-backed SVO Mustangs dominated Trans-Am, winning 17 of 34 contests in 1985-86, and by '89, Ford had scored 46 Trans-Am victories, more than all other manufacturers combined. SVO also helped end 9 years of Chevrolet NASCAR dominance, with Ford drivers finishing 1-2-3 in NASCAR's final Winston Cup standings.

Mustang SVO

See also: Ford Mustang SVO

The group's sole production car, the Ford Mustang SVO, was designed to compete directly with European sports sedans like BMW's 3 Series. To reduce costs, they used the existing 2.3 L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and Borg-Warner T-5 5-speed manual transmission from the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. The car had a different computer and air meter and added an intercooler, a Hurst shifter, KONI Group shock absorbers, and 16 inch wheels, a novelty at the time. The car produced 175 hp (130 kW) for the 1984 model year (MY) and the first part of the 1985 MY, 205 hp (152 kW) after mid-1985 MY, and 200 hp (149 kW) for the 1986 MY. In total, 9,844 were built.

SVO in Australia

SVO (Special Vehicle Options rather than Special Vehicle Operations). Was established in Australia by Australian motor racing driver and engineer Mick Webb in the late 1980s. Dick Johnson had also used the SVO nameplate, originally on a prototype Turbo XF Falcon. Webb and Johnson both claimed ownership of the acronym, however it was Webb whom first registered its usage. Mick Webb & SVO are still enhancing and modifying Ford products today. He owns and operates a factory in Victoria.

Mick Webb's SVO

EA Falcon SVO

Ford Falcon (EA) SVO

SVO first road car was based the then new Ford Falcon EA, starting with a "S Pac" or "Fairmont Ghia" trim leavels. SVO added customised ROH 16" wheels, Recaro seats, MOMO steering wheels, suspension upgrades including Bilstein shock absorbers, engine modifications, spoilers and two tone grey paint work. SVO had hoped that these cars would lead to a relationship with Ford Australia as an factory backed performance arm, however, at this Ford were not investing in performance or racing. The relationship didn't evohlve any further, but selected Ford dealers sold the SVO product.

SVO originally produced 600 Falcon Sedans, 100 Ute's, 600 Fairlane's and 280 Capri's.

Other Models

Melbourne and Sydney dealership records indicate that 5 SVO Fairlane NL models were produced between 1997 - 1998. Several Falcon (EL) XR8 and Fairmont (EL) Ghia's were also produced. These vehicles employed a mix of 30th anniversary EL GT, Ghia and parts bin accessories rather than a specific design, and were reviewed in Motor and Wheels magazines in 1997. The AU Falcon was also available with SVO enhancements, including a 185kW 6-cylinder engine.

Motorsport

SVO was successful in building (and racing) Falcons in the AUSCAR category.

See also

• Ford Performance Vehicles
• Tickford Vehicle Engineering
• Special Vehicle Team