I don't know about the SVT Contour, but I have a 2000 Cougar with the Duratec V6, and the exact wording in the manual concerning break-in says, "There are no particular breaking-in rules for your vehicle. During the first 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of driving, vary speeds frequently. This is necessary to give the moving parts a chance to break in. If possible, you should avoid full use of brakes for the first 1,600 km (1,000 miles)." That is all the manual says about the "break-in" period. I think PA 3L SVT said it just about right.
As for synthetic motor oil, there is absolutely nothing in the manual that says anything about not using synthetic oil during the first 6,000 miles. As a matter of fact, the word, "synthetic" doesn't even appear in the 2000 Cougar Owner's Guide. As for the SVT, I don't know. Mobil 1 synthetic is factory fill in Dodge Vipers, Corvettes, all Porsches, and a few others, so there is no reason why you can't use it as early as you want. With older engines where there were wider tolerances, this may have been an issue, but with virtually all modern engines there shouldn't be a problem.
