Ford SVT Contour
Encyclopedia
The SVT Contour was a modified version of the Ford Contour
sedan from Ford
's in-house Special Vehicle Team
. The SVT Contour was produced from 1998MY through 2000MY, with a mid-year revision for 1998.5. All Ford Contours were produced at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant (KCAP) in Claycomo, Missouri
, just outside of Kansas City, Missouri
.
These changes include:
These changes allowed the SVT Duratec to make 200 hp at 6600 rpm and 169 lb-ft at 5500 rpm. The rev-limiter was also raised to 6750 rpm from 6500 rpm.
Ford Contour
The Ford Contour, and its rebadged variant, the Mercury Mystique, were compact 4-door sedans marketed from model years 1995-2000 by Ford Motor Company in North America...
sedan from Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's in-house Special Vehicle Team
Special Vehicle Team
Special Vehicle Team, also known as SVT, is an arm of Ford Motor Company responsible for the development of the company's highest-performance vehicles, much like Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, Chrysler's SRT division and GM's Performance Division. SVT is the successor to the SVO division.The current SVT...
. The SVT Contour was produced from 1998MY through 2000MY, with a mid-year revision for 1998.5. All Ford Contours were produced at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant (KCAP) in Claycomo, Missouri
Claycomo, Missouri
Claycomo is a village in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The village’s name is formed from Clay, co , and mo . The population was 1,267 at the 2000 census...
, just outside of Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
| Year | Engine | Power | Torque | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.5 L Duratec 25 SVT V6 | 195 hp (145 kW) | 165 ft·lbf (224 N·m) | 4,485 |
| 1998.5 | 2,050 | |||
| 1999 | 200 hp (149 kW) | 169 ft·lbf (229 N·m) | 2,760 | |
| 2000 | 2,150 | |||
| Total | 11,445 | |||
| Year | Exterior Color | Blue Interior | Tan Interior | Total | First Saleable | Job 1 | Job Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Red | 1,238 | N/A | 1,238 | 8/29/96 | 3/24/97 | 1/27/98 |
| Silver | 1,631 | N/A | 1,631 | ||||
| Black | 1,616 | N/A | 1,616 | ||||
| TOTAL | 4,485 | N/A | 4,485 | ||||
| 1998.5 | Red | 415 | N/A | 415 | 12/5/97 | 2/13/98 | 6/27/98 |
| Silver | 856 | N/A | 856 | ||||
| Black | 779 | N/A | 779 | ||||
| TOTAL | 2,050 | N/A | 2,050 | ||||
| 1999 | Red | N/A | 494 | 494 | 6/17/98 | 9/1/98 | 8/18/99 |
| Silver | 861 | N/A | 861 | ||||
| Black | 379 | 532 | 902 | ||||
| Green | N/A | 503 | 503 | ||||
| TOTAL | 1,231 | 1,529 | 2,760 | ||||
| 2000 | Red | N/A | 386 | 386 | 8/4/99 | 9/14/99 | 2/4/00 |
| Silver | 725 | N/A | 725 | ||||
| Black | 307 | 525 | 832 | ||||
| Green | N/A | 207 | 207 | ||||
| TOTAL | 1,032 | 1,118 | 2,150 | ||||
| GRAND TOTAL | 8,798 | 2,647 | 11,445 | ||||
Body and Interior
There were many SVT-specific parts that separated it from the normal Ford Contour models.- SVT-specific front bumper (for enhanced cooling), rocker sill extensions, rear bumper
- SVT mesh front and lower grills
- SVT emblem on rear left trunk
- SVT-marked floor mats
- Leather shift and emergency brake boot
- White face gauge cluster
- Leather sport seats front and back (Midnight Blue or Tan)
Drivetrain Differences
The SVT Contour has many high-performance improvements to produce more power and withstand harder driving than the normal Contour models.These changes include:
- Changes to the camshaft include a longer duration and a complete change in valve timing points.
- Higher compression: 10:1 (SVT) vs 9.7:1 (normal)
- Powertrain Control Module (PCM) was more aggressively tuned and required premium fuel.
- Larger throttle body (60 mm vs 54 mm). Lifted from the 3.0L Duratec.
- 19 lbs fuel injectors.
- Upper intake manifold was extrude-honed, increasing cfm flow (from 165 stock to 185 cfms)
- Lower intake manifold was enlarged (from 32/33mm to 33/34mm for the SVT model)
- SVT-specific clutch.
- A water-to-oil, oil cooler to keep control of oil temperatures during performance driving.
- A radiator with a thicker core for better cooling (lifted from Saudi models).
- Different air filter and intake (cone style using same air filter as V6 Mustang).
- A lighter flywheel (from 21 to 19 lb or 9.5 to 8.6 kg)
- A larger-diameter, quasi-dual exhaust.
These changes allowed the SVT Duratec to make 200 hp at 6600 rpm and 169 lb-ft at 5500 rpm. The rev-limiter was also raised to 6750 rpm from 6500 rpm.
Suspension and Brakes
Cars built on or before January 27, 1998 had the first 5-spoke wheel style with Goodyear GSC tires. Beginning on February 14, Ford switched to the Cobra style 16 inches (41 cm) wheel and Eagle F1 tires. Beginning with 1999MY, September 1, 1998, Ford then kept the same Cobra-style wheel and switched to the BF Goodrich KDW tires. The SVT Contour had four-wheel disc brakes, instead of the standard mixed disc/drum configuration. The independent rear disc-brake suspension is also used in the 1999-2002 Mercury Cougar.- Front rotors were enlarged to 278 vs.
- Stiffer shock tuning.
- Smaller front swaybar (down to 19mm). five-spoke wheels (1998MY) SVT Cobra-style wheels (1998.5 to 2000MY)
- Goodyear Eagle GS-C tires, size 205/55ZR16 (1998MY)
- Goodyear Eagle F1-GS tires, size 205/55ZR16 (1998.5MY)
- BFGoodrich g-Force KDW tires, size 215/50ZR16 (1999 to 2000MY).
- Lighter SVT Edition Wheels
