Call Me Mondeo: 1999 Ford Contour SVT

The biggest complaint I have about this next car is the name.  Say it out loud: I drive a Contour.  An SVT Contour.  Yuck. Contour.  Blech.  SVT Contour sounds like something you'd lookup in a medical encyclopedia and recoil in horror at the associated illustration.  Ford should have kept the global name and called it the Mondeo...but at least we were able to get one in the USA with a 5-speed manual gearbox and some tuning from Ford's Special Vehicle Team. Find this 1999 Ford Contour SVT offered for $3950 in Altadena, CA via craigslist.

Old School: 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning

This next truck comes as a tip from Matt C who writes: Came very close to asking the seller about this one myself, but didn't have room to keep a truck this big until first gen Lightnings are worth real money. I wonder if I'll be kicking myself for passing this up in a decade or so.  I don't know if you'll need a decade to kick yourself for passing on this Lightning...because I almost called the seller instead of posting it!! Find this 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning offered for $2000 near Atlanta, GA via craigslist.

6 Speed Manual: 2003 Ford Focus SVT

Four thousand smackeroos doesn't buy you much in a late model performance car these days, but you can get a Mini Cooper S or a Fiat 500 Abarth if you find something with a questionable title status or high miles...but if hot hatches are your jam, I suggest checking out a high mile SVT Ford with a manual box. Find this 2003 Ford Focus SVT offered for $3999 in San Diego, CA via craigslist.

Get 'Em While They're Cheap: 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

Production of Ford's wicked SVT Cobra started in 1993 when the boxy Fox body was still the chassis of choice, but those 1993 models are bloody expensive given their relative rarity and the fanboy entourage surrounding the Fox platform.  However, in 1994 Ford released the SN-95 Mustang SVT Cobra, which was faster and better in almost every category except boxyness, and those are still quite cheap these days.  Find this 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra here on eBay offered for $4,800 buy-it-now located in Fontucky, CA.

The Mystique of the Mondeo: 1998 Ford Contour SVT

Merriam-Webster defines the word con·tour (n)| \ˈkän-ˌtu̇r as (1) an outline especially of a curving or irregular figure (2) the general form or structure of something or (3) a usually meaningful change in intonation in speech.  I wasn't familiar with that last definition, but the fellows at Ford's Special Vehicle Team put some contour into the 1995-2000 Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique sales literature with the release of the 1998 SVT version which added a 2.5 liter Duratec V6, 5-speed manual box, upgraded brakes, snazzy interior bits, and a sport tuned suspension.  Find this 1998 Ford Contour SVT offered for $1200 in Warwick, RI via craigslist. Tip from Art C.

Raptor and Tribulation: 2010 Ford F150 SVT Raptor

When the Ford SVT Raptor hit the showrooms in late 2009, I said to myself:  "Self, this is going to be an AWESOME DT car once the frames have been bent, odometers rolled, and the magic wand of depreciation has driven prices low...can't take more than 5 years."  Well...amazingly enough, these beasts maintained high resale value for almost a decade and ONLY now (ten years after launch...literally) can you get one for less than $20k -- and not just sketchy craigslist ads with minimal details and probably a complex 419 scam on the other end.  But, a real 5.4L V8 powered off-road beast for the price of a few Dodge Ram beaters. Find this 2010 Ford F150 SVT Raptor offered for $21,500 in Watertown, CT via craigslist.

Hot Hatch: 2004 Ford Focus SVT

The term hot hatch is tossed about like gonorrhea in a college co-ed dorm building, but what does it really take to be a hot hatch.  First, you need a hatch.  And then you need powahhhhh....maybe!  What you need in a fast hatch is something that is equally at home in a parking lot dodging shopping carts or cones...and for that you need handling.   Find this 2004 Ford Focus SVT offered for $2,500 in Houston, TX via craigslist.

2002 Ford Focus SVT

Ford was really late to the party on the front-drive sport compact thing with their Focus SVT...albeit, not as late as GM with the Cobalt SS, but being the second loudest drunken idiot at the party doesn't exactly make you a saint. Like the selection of available dates on Kentucky's state funded tinder app, it's all relative. Find this 2002 Ford Focus SVT here on eBay offered for $7,500 buy-it-now or make-offer. Tip from mrkwong. This post is part of DT's 2016 Birthday Celebration of 100 cars; enjoy the ride!

Auction Watch: 1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 519HP Monster

Take a look at this 1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 519HP Monster here on eBay bidding for $9,950 with auction ending on Sunday.

Under The Radar: 2000 Ford SVT Contour

The US market Ford Contour was sold as a re-purposed European Ford Mondeo, but in truth it only shared a few pieces including the windshield, windows, side mirrors and door handles.  Everything else was standard parts bin junk left over from the Tempo or borrowed from the Taurus or Escort.  That didn't stop Ford from making an interesting SVT version that might not command much respect on the street, but is a bit of a sleeper. Find this 2000 Ford Contour SVT offered for $650 in San Jose, CA via craigslist.

When Lightning Strikes: 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning

The ninth generation of Ford's legendary F-series pickup was the first to get its own hot rod version -- the SVT Lightning. It was an attempt by Ford to offer a special version of the F-150 for hauling ass instead of hauling logs, and the handling was developed with the assistance of ex-Formula 1 and Scottish clay pigeon shooting champion, Sir Jackie Stewart.  The  SVT Lightning won't exactly keep up with a Cosworth powered Matra through Eau Rouge at Spa, but it is a cheap way to get into an interesting car with a good chance of being collectible some day.  Find this 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning offered for $3,500 in Cincinnati, OH via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck. 

4k: Patience is for Chumps: 1998 Ford SVT Contour with Taurus 3.0L

The SVT variant of the Ford Contour offered tight suspension tuning on an already competent chassis to make one of the best-handling front-drive cars Ford ever sold in North America. However, its extra 25 horsepower over the regular V6's 170 happened near redline, and torque remained the same at 165 ft-lb. Impatient, rev-wary owners rarely felt the difference. Luckily, Ford Taurus performance is here to save the day! You'll probably never hear those words in succession again. Find this 1998 Ford SVT Contour with 3.0L Duratec swap in Grand Rapids, MI for $4,000 via craigslist.

10k: Sometimes Violates Traction: 2002 Ford Focus 601 Hp

Here at the Daily Turismo we love to embrace the lunatic fringe.  Not just because we are people who revel in the absurd, but also because it simply makes a more thrilling narrative.  For instance, conventional wisdom says that anything above 300 horsepower in a front drive street car is just a waste, so one could expect that at 400 hp, a front driver is nuts, at 500 horsepower it is scary and at 600 horsepower it is worthy of a feature.  Find this 2002 Ford Focus SVT with 601 hp for sale in Mobile, AL for $9,500 via craigslist.  Tip from Randall B.

10k: Original Cobra: 1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

The Ford Mustang SVT Cobra was first released in the final year of the original Fox platform and featured a slightly upgraded 5.0 V8, 17inch directional wheels and a few subtle styling cues.  Ford produced less than 5,000 of the Fox Cobra in a single model year, so finding one that hasn't had a cowl induction hood and pillar mounted gauges is a tricky.  Find this 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra for sale in Mobile, AL for $11,500 via craigslist.  Tip from Wesley.

20k: #118 of 250: 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

The SN-95 was a jelly bean shaped re-design of Ford's venerable Mustang pony car and debuted in 1994 with a basic V6, a V8 GT model and a tire-melting SVT Cobra version.  The Cobra version was the hot one to get, but in 1995 they released a limited run of 250 Cobra R models that really turned up the heat.  MSRP was almost $40k for a car without air conditioning, a back seat or radio --and you needed a competition license to buy it, but the entire production run was spoken for.  Find this 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R for sale in Moss Point, MS for $26,000 via craigslist.  Tip from Wesley D.

10k: Out of Focus: 2004 Ford Focus SVT

The Ford Focus was a big success when it replaced the aging Escort and was lauded as the arrival of European handing/flair to the American econo-hatch.  This was marketing nonsense and hyperbole dreamed up by press pundits, as the basic Focus was a plasticy piece of crap, but with the arrival of the SVT model, some of that much anticipated fun was finally delivered.  Find this 2004 Ford Focus SVT for sale in Milpitas, CA for $8,200 via craigslist.  Tip from...you guessed it...Kaibeezy.

10k: Future Gold: 1998 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, low miles

Ford's Special Vehicle Team was the performance group assigned to turning the knob on the standard Ford offerings up to 11 and they started by creating a special Fox Mustang in 1993.  The modifications continued with the new Mustang body style (SN-95, a super lame name compared to the Fox) but the SVT Cobra had disappointingly low power levels from its ancient Windsor 302 V8.  When the GT Mustang switched from 302 to Modular 4.6 V8 it picked up a few ponies, but the Cobra got a major power increase from its DOHC powerplant.  Today the SN-95 Cobras are about as cheap as they will ever be, so pick one up before they start to become collector's items.  Find this 1998 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra with 26k miles on the odo for sale in Columbia, SC for $11,000 via NASIOC forums.

5k: Mean Mondeo: 1999 Ford SVT Contour

The Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique were based on Ford's CDW27 platform, a confusing amalgam of acronyms, but it was a global platform that was used to build the Europe-only Ford Mondeo and later the Jaguar X-Type. Take a workaday chassis and add a dose of magic from Ford's Special Vehicles Team and you get a car that looks like the next econobox rental reject, but is actually a hoot to drive.  Find this 1999 Ford SVT Contour for sale in Alameda, CA for $6,000 via craigslist. Thanks to tip from Kaibeezy T!