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The reason we never got to see the great SVT he had in mind is because Ford thought that they could take one frame and sell it as eveything to everyone. If they had a crappy V-6, cheaper materials, and cheap suspension, it would have been a bigger hit as an economy car, but wouldn't have had "great internals". A sporty sedan needs good handling at its core, and the Contour has a good suspension design. It needs an eager, powerful engine, and it has one. It needs a driveline to handle that power and it (almost) has one. These things all cost money, and drove the cost up (and reliablility down?) on the base models. The base models were where Ford planned to make money on the Contour. Without that base, it's not a money-making car. Now, in Europe, it's a hit! BMW and Audi sell 4-cyl A4s and 3 series cars with great success, because most people there want nimble cars. The Mondeo competes there! If Ford wanted to sell Contours, they should have sold them like 3 series in America: V-6 base engine, SVT engine in the SE, turbo in the SVT. Dual exhaust on the regular models, along with Sport suspension, but more along the lines of the BAT kit on the SE/SVT. LSD option on the base, standard on the SVT. Slightly more agressive styling all-around. The real kicker: just like every other sports sedan these days, they would all have AWD optional. 180hp base, 200 hp with sportier suspension and premium gas SE, and a rip-snorting 300hp turbo AWD only SVT that would kill a 330i. Oh well, they aimed at a broad market, when they really had a product for a narrower, more profitable one. Too bad, Ford.
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Joined: Jul 2001
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Originally posted by GrooveNerd:
Someone seriously needs to call/e-mail/etc. John Coletti and invite him to Spring Zing.  Tell him to bring anyone else from SVT who thought of the Contour the way he did, so they can see firsthand what we've done with what they gave us...
It'd be a good opportunity for us to say "Thanks!" as well.
Marty
That *would* be cool.
"Think of it, if you like, as a librarian with a G-string under the tweed." Clarkson on the Mondeo.
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Joined: Mar 2003
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Originally posted by Jeb Hoge:
Originally posted by GrooveNerd:
Someone seriously needs to call/e-mail/etc. John Coletti and invite him to Spring Zing. Tell him to bring anyone else from SVT who thought of the Contour the way he did, so they can see firsthand what we've done with what they gave us...
It'd be a good opportunity for us to say "Thanks!" as well.
Marty
That *would* be cool.
Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.
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Joined: Mar 2003
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Well, I have high hopes that Ford SVT will jump back into the fray with the Fusion. I posted an article about it a few weeks ago & they are definately looking to compete on the M3 level. An AWD version has already been talked about, so who knows? To spin that much drive line, they may have to think happy thoughts about a turbo. If it handles as well as a CSVT, they may have more sales on their hand than they can deal with...
Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.
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"IF" the Contour would have survived the 3L was slotted to go into the SVT if not the entire 3L line. Then again the line would likely have gone upscale like the 01 Mondeo. That would mean a price hike matching their Taurus line. (you know how the bean counters reacted to that already)
We all know that a basic 3L swap with SVT cams is 240-250/220 at the crank. Then any tweaking on top of that.
We also know what a simple turbo project does to a straight 3L swap thanks to Tom. 300 wheels on 5 psi and near 350 wheels on 9-10psi. All on stock internals.
An LSD should have been a given since the Torsen is in the parts catalog.
FSVT brakes are a bolt on upgrade.
They had every thing they needed to make the SVT stand out above the crowd.
I feel I have what the SVT "should" have been and I bet the turbo guys feel they have what it "could" have been. 
2000 SVT #674
13.47 @ 102 - All Motor!
It was not broke; Yet I fixed it anyway.
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i've been thinking which is usually a bad thing...anyway, from the interview i get the impression that svt obviously figured the contour would be around for more than the few yrs they had to work with it...in which case they coulda/woulda evolved the car into a real ass kicker over time im just wondering if any of you feel that svt got all they could out of the contour when they did have it to work on or if they could have pulled a little more out of the car than they actually did...did they fumble the ball even slightly in the time they had? could the 200hp have been pushed higher if they had really worked at it a little more? also, if the contour still existed and svt had pushed the power to the 250-300hp range, do u think ford could sell it? (other than to us of course) do u think they could pull the wrx/evo and other buyers? just wondering what u guys think
99 expedition eddie bauer, 5.4 v8, k&n drop-in, 3" magnaflow catback and gas mileage that makes the contour look like a hybrid
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Originally posted by gdub520:
i've been thinking which is usually a bad thing...anyway, from the interview i get the impression that svt obviously figured the contour would be around for more than the few yrs they had to work with it...in which case they coulda/woulda evolved the car into a real ass kicker over time
im just wondering if any of you feel that svt got all they could out of the contour when they did have it to work on or if they could have pulled a little more out of the car than they actually did...did they fumble the ball even slightly in the time they had? could the 200hp have been pushed higher if they had really worked at it a little more?
also, if the contour still existed and svt had pushed the power to the 250-300hp range, do u think ford could sell it? (other than to us of course) do u think they could pull the wrx/evo and other buyers?
just wondering what u guys think
I think they pulled out all they could, which was impressive, IMO, given their cost target.
Function before fashion.
'96 Contour SE
"Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998
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You guys do know how much it cost Ford to build these cars, right? The Contour was not meant to be a long-lasting sports sedan to compete with BMW. Detriot has been using the Cologne, Germany built motors in Explorer/Rangers for years. The problem is not that it was European, but that it cost a lot to build.
2000 Contour SE
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Originally posted by brapple:
what didn't help either is that the COntour took the spot of the Tempo and that is enough said there
I am sorry, but I take great offense to that. The Contour took the place of the Tempo in the Ford lineup and that is a fact to BE PROUD of, not hide your face in shame. If you feel that a Tempo is not worthy then you truely don't understand the VALUE of a Ford. I invite you to go over to Tempotopaz.com and see an equal amount of people as we have on here (contour.org) who feel the same about their Tempos as you do about your Contour. Being ashamed of the Tempo when you own a Contour is like being ashamed of your Grandfather. Is that what you really want?
Southeast CEG Fall Dragon Run ~October 13, 14 & 15~
2003 Ford Focus LX
2000 Ford Contour SVT #1049 of 2150
1999 Ford Contour SE Sport ~*RIP 7-19-2004*~
1990 Ford Tempo All Wheel Drive
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my grampy used to run away from the retirement home and get lost...we were all very ashamed
99 expedition eddie bauer, 5.4 v8, k&n drop-in, 3" magnaflow catback and gas mileage that makes the contour look like a hybrid
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