Today so much is made of the Honda Civic Si making 197 hp, with little mention of it's 138 lb ft of torque. But 20 years ago, Ford had a 4cyl hot hatch that made 200 hp and 200 lb ft of torque. The Ford SVO Mustang. Powerful and balanced, with decent fuel economy. It was compared favorably with BMW 3 series of the time. Made only for a few years, it was the most forward thinking Mustang ever built. To compare the 1986 Mustang GT with V8 only made 20 hp more, and because of the weight of the engine, handling while good was not as good as the SVO.
So here's an idea, couldn't Ford bring out a new SVO? With all of the technological advances made in fuel injection and engine management, the same 2.3 or now 2.5 I4 could easily put out 250 hp or more. The lighter weight of the engine in an already excellent chassis, would make it a real autobahn burner.
Dodge SRT4 230 hp . Wouldn't stand a chance against a new SVO Mustang.
Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged with 210 hp. An SVO would make it look silly.Hell, it would make any tuner vehicle except maybe the EVO and WRX look like it was standing still. The advantage of all wheel drive may not even be enough.
So what do you think? A new SVO turbo 4 Mustang?
