Ford SVT Contour

Ford SVT Contour

Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	1998–2000
Class	Sports sedan
Body style	4-door sedan

The SVT Contour was a modified version of the Ford Contour sedan from Ford's in-house Special Vehicle Team.^[1] 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.^[1]

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 pounds or 9.5 to 8.6 kilograms)
• 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-inch (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 260 millimetres (stock) or 10.9 vs 10 in.
• Stiffer shock tuning.
• Smaller front swaybar (down to 19mm).
• 16-inch (41 cm) five-spoke wheels (1998MY)
• 16-inch (41 cm) 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

See also

• Ford Contour

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Ford SVT Contour", Ford Motor Company, svt.ford.com, web: SVT.

External links

• "Official site". Ford SVT. http://www.svt.ford.com/. Retrieved march 8, 2006. 
• Contour.org
• FordContour.org

Pictures

• [1] - 1998 Contour
• [2]
• [3] - Unique SVT Cluster