Originally posted by Blk560:
I was an active member of the old american.edu listserv (circa mid '97), and don't remember such a discussion, though my memory could escape me...and I'm unable to get to the dyndns.org archives at the moment. Do you remember his name?
Possibly more important than that they may have tried it is why in the world they would want to try it?
Yeah, it was the old american.edu server, back when Marwan regularly ruffled everyone's feathers.  I don't remember the SVT gentleman's name, either, but I distinctly recall the thread and stored it away in the "that's interesting" section of my brain, having just come from an SHO myself. There's still a fondness from SHO enthusiasts for that engine, which was generally considered "bulletproof".
I suppose the reasons that you give are the reasons why the Yamaha motor didn't make it to the Contour. I do know that there was quite a bit of discussion in the automotive press about whether the original car's 195 HP was worthy of the SVT moniker, but with the Focus, we see that SVT wasn't too afraid to dabble in the lower price points. Whether that was a mistake or not is debatable, as the recent announcements about SVT going more "upscale" like BMW's M division indicate.
In the end, SVT elected to go with the engine that they did. Whether the SHO motor was really seriously considered or not, I can't think anyone currently on this board can say. As I said, it's fun to dream what that engine would have done to the Contour with more HP and more importantly, a lot more torque.
Lee K
'92 SHO (ex)
'98 SVT Contour, silver
'03 Evo, red
Lee K
98 SVT Contour, silver (sold after 7 years and 100K miles)
03 Lancer Evolution, red
| 
