Passive Anti Theft System. That chip in the key that stops people from "hot-wiring" your Contour (not sure if pre-98's have it though).
I ordered an A'PEXi Auto Timer - it's a turbo timer, A/F ratio gauge (actual ratio!) and it also measures battery voltage, etc for the 'Tour, so I'll see if I can get it to work.
http://www.apexi-usa.com/electronics_timer.aspI got the S-AFC to work for us, so this shouldn't be an issue.