Tag: Ford

1984 Ford Mustang SVO hatchback coupe

With the announcement of the 2015 Mustang and its available EcoBoost turbocharged inline-four, my mind turned back to the 1984 to 1986 Mustang SVO.

“Sophisticated performance for the knowledgeable driver.”

Created by Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations department, the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO was an admirable attempt to take a different and more advanced approach to the pony car market. Released in mid-April 1984, this version of the Fox-body Mustang was built around the Lima turbocharged and fuel-injected 2.3 liter/140 ci inline four, making 175 bhp paired with a Borg-Warner T5 five-speed manual. By the day’s standards, this combination yielded a reasonable 19 city/26 highway (it would be 17/24 by current standards). Car and Driver recorded a respectable 7.5 second 0-60 time and a 128 mph top speed.

1984 Ford Mustang advertisement

Other modifications over the standard Mustang included ventilated four-wheel power disc brakes (replacing the Mustang GT‘s front disc/rear drum setup), and a Koni suspension system featuring adjustable struts and shocks. 16 × 7 inch aluminum wheels with 225/50VR16 Goodyear NCT tires (a size still readily available) were standard for the first year—Gatorbacks didn’t become available until 1985.

The exterior featured an SVO-specific front grille, tinted glass, a functional hood scoop, and a “dual wing” spoiler that was also unique to the SVO. Inside, standard features included SVO-specific adjustable performance seats with lumbar support, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, and an AM/FM stereo radio with a four-channel amplifier and four speakers.

Options & Production Numbers

You could have the interior in any color you wanted as long as that was Charcoal, but you did get to choose from the standard cloth or optional leather seats. A flip-up open air roof ($315), air conditioning ($743), a cassette player ($222), power lock group ($177), and power windows ($198) all remained optional—this was 1984, after all.

With a base price of $15,585 (about $49,200 in 2026 dollars or a little more than what a loaded 2026 Mustang EcoBoost Premium Fastback goes for), sales did not come close to meeting Ford’s hopes—less than 10,000 buyers took home a Mustang SVO over its three years of production. The reasons for its relative failure were many, but I think the most significant problems were:

  • The average Mustang buyer was happier with a Mustang GT, which, with a base price of $9,578, cost substantially less.
  • The potential buyer of a vehicle with a turbocharged and intercooled four, four-wheel disc brakes, and an adjustable suspension wasn’t looking to Ford for this car.

The View From 2026

It is interesting to note that Ford was much more successful in the 1990s and 2000s in selling high-end Mustangs. They’ve also done decently with the 2.3 liter (there’s a coincidence!) 315 bhp EcoBoost turbocharged inline-four, which first became available in 2015.

According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1984 Mustang SVO in #1/Concours condition is $50,100, while a more typical #3/Good car goes for $11,300. SVOs often show up in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer—as I update this blog entry in February 2026, there’s an Oxford White 1986 Mustang SVO with Charcoal cloth front bucket seats and an indicated 21,000 miles for sale on Hemmings, asking $27,800.

Make my SVO Silver Metallic, please.

Other Mustangs I have written about include the 1980 Cobra hatchback coupe, the 1981 coupe, the 1982 GT hatchback coupe, the 1983 GT convertible, and the 1987 LX 2-door sedan.

Last updated February 2026.

1982 Ford Mustang GT hatchback coupe

This post was one of the earliest in this blog. I’ve updated it to reflect both changes in my posting style and substantial improvements in available data.

“If excitement is your master key, this one opens all the doors.”

The 1982 Ford Mustang GT marked the return to form of America’s definitive pony car and ignited a second round of the power wars with the then brand new third generation Camaro and Firebird. Along with the new GT trim level, the new high output (H.O.) version of the venerable 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 was up to 157 bhp—quite an upgrade from 1981’s 4.2 liter/255 ci engine.

157 bhp feels quaint these days—the lowest horsepower engine for the 2025 Mustang is the 315 bhp turbo four. Still, the 1981 Mustang had topped out at (oog…) 120 bhp and as tested 0-60 times in the 2,600 pound GT dropped by over 3 seconds for 1982, with Motor Trend recording a 6.9-second time in a test car they acknowledged might be a little warmed over. Road & Track timed an 8.0 second 0-60 time in a more civilian GT.

GT pages from the 1982 Ford Mustang brochure
GT pages from the 1982 Ford Mustang brochure

You could get the H.O. engine with any Mustang, but the hot setup was with the GT, which offered a four-speed manual transmission and a 3.08:1 rear axle ratio with a Traction-Lok limited slip differential. Other options that were standard with the $8,308 GT (about $28,800 in today’s dollars) with the 302 were power steering and traction bars. The GT also received cast aluminum wheels, a front air dam, dual fog lamps, a forward-facing hood scoop, and the same rear spoiler initially featured on the first year of the Fox-body Mustang 1979 Pace Car.

Options, Period Reviews, & Production Numbers

Options for the Mustang GT included the SelectAire Conditioner ($676), snazzy Recaro high-back bucket seats ($834), power side windows ($165), and an AM/FM stereo with either 8-track or cassette player ($178)—it seems that 1982 was Ford’s crossover year for 8-track versus cassette.

Period reviews were overwhelmingly positive—Motor Trend stated that the 1982 GT was “it’s the best-balanced, most capable Mustang ever done.” Road & Track mentioned that Ford was leading the “U.S. industry in restoring exhilarating engine performance to the list of options.”

Ford built 23,447 Mustang GTs in the 1982 model year, marking a solid success and attracting a lot of notice. At 45,901 produced, the best seller continued to be the far more vanilla GL fastback.

The View From 2025

This generation of the Mustang GT often appears in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1982 Ford Mustang GT in #1/Concours condition is $44,700, with a more normal #3/Good car going for $12,700.

I only have four exterior color choices with a 1982 Mustang GT—make mine Bright Red, please.

Other Mustangs I have written about include the 1980 Cobra hatchback coupe, the 1981 coupe, the 1983 GT convertible, the 1984 SVO hatchback coupe, and the 1987 LX coupe.

Last updated September 2025.

1986 Ford Taurus sedan

“An automobile that evolved from a new way of thinking.”

Front cover of the 1986 Ford Taurus brochure
Front cover of the 1986 Ford Taurus brochure

Ford’s 1986 Taurus marked an almost unbelievable change from the Fox-platform LTD that it replaced. Gone was the rear-wheel-drive and squarish looks, replaced by something front-wheel-drive with Jack Telnack’s completely different design.

The Taurus definitely looked different on the road, especially for a Ford. Getting beyond the looks, the base engine on the Taurus was the central fuel injected (CFI—otherwise known as throttle-body injection) 90 bhp HSC 2.5 liter/152 ci inline four. Optional was the fuel-injected 140 bhp Vulcan 3.0 liter/182 ci V6. Mileage with the base engine and the standard three-speed automatic transmission was 20 city/27 highway by the day’s standards of the day (18/24 by 2025 measures). Mileage with the top-of-the-line V6 and four-speed automatic transmission combination was rated at 20 city/28 highway.

Standard equipment on the $9,645 (about $28,600 in today’s dollars) base Taurus L was … fairly basic. Exterior and mechanical features include halogen headlamps, power steering, and power brakes. Inside, cloth seats (either bench or bucket) were standard, along with a rear window defroster and an AM radio with two speakers.

  • Intended to be the sportiest Taurus, the Taurus MT5 ended up being quite rare. It added a five-speed manual transmission with a floor console but paired that with the base engine. Power mirrors, intermittent wipers, tilt steering wheel, bucket seats, a tachometer, and AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers were also included.
  • The Taurus GL was the usual step up from the L and included the Vulcan V6 and the four-speed automatic as standard equipment. With a GL, you also got power mirrors, intermittent wipers, and an AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers.
  • The top of the line for 1986 was the Taurus LX (there was as yet no SHO). Beyond all the GL features, every LX included lower body cladding (you’ll have to believe me that it was at least a little hip at the time) and front cornering lamps. Inside, the LX came with air conditioning, power windows, and a tilt steering wheel.

Options, Production Numbers, & Period Reviews

Optional exterior and mechanical equipment available for every Taurus included 15-inch aluminum wheels, power antenna, power moonroof, keyless entry system, and an engine block heater. Inside, you could upgrade to six-way power seats, cruise control, and the Premium Sound System. An interesting option was the extended range fuel tank, which added 2.5 gallons to the standard 13.3-gallon tank—perhaps another 55 miles of range in the real world.

Options only available on the upmarket GL and LX models included an electronic air conditioner and leather seating surfaces (LX only).

A car that could have killed (or at least severely wounded) Ford if it had failed, the first-generation Taurus was instead very successful. Over 230,000 were sold in the 1986 model year alone, and the Taurus made Car and Driver‘s “10 Best” in 1986 in addition to being Motor Trend‘s “Car of the Year” (one of the few choices that MT made in the 1980s that hasn’t ended up being embarrassing).

The View From 2025

For such a popular car, you don’t see many “civilian” (non SHO) first-generation Taurus’s that have made it to forty. They’re rarely seen in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors. Bring a Trailer has yet to auction a 1986 Taurus.

Make mine Silver Clearcoat Metallic, please. If (as many claimed) the Taurus was imitating the Audi 5000, we might as well go all the way and use a proper German color.

Other aerodynamically styled Ford products I’ve written about include the 1983 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO hatchback coupe, and the 1984 Lincoln Continental Mark VII LSC coupe.

Last updated August 2025.