1998 Ford SVT Contour

The Ford Contour four-door sedan was produced from 1995 to 2000 and served as a replacement for the Ford Tempo. The Mercury variant was known as the Mystique and replaced the Topaz. Ford's in-house Special Vehicle Team (SVT) introduced a high-performance version in 1997 and it was produced through 2000. The SVT Contour came with a 2.5-liter, dual overhead camshaft Duratec V6 engine offering 195 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque. It was paired solely with a five-speed manual transmission. Further upgrades to the engine boosted output to 200 horsepower in 1999 and torque to 169 lb-ft. Addition modifications came in the form of four-wheel upgraded disc brakes, larger wheels wrapped with high-performance tires, a re-tuned suspension, and new bodywork. The interior gained different seats, trim, and white-face instrumentation.

The SVT Ford Contour was built in limited numbers and was available primarily by special order at specially designated Ford dealerships.

During mid-1998, Ford made several changes to the SVT Contour, with those produced before the changes known as the 'EO' and the late 1998 model as the 'E1.' Mid-year updates included new Cobra-style SVT aluminum alloy wheels with SVT-specific Goodyear Eagle F1 tires (replacing the Goodyear GS-C tires) but continued to measure 205/55-16. The in-dash clock was relocated to the stereo head unit, and the word 'normal' was removed from the temperature gauge. 'C' for cool and 'H' for hot were added. The skid pad numbers raised from .84 to .90 G due to different strut valving and tires.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2022