When Ford stopped making the antiquated Tempo/Topaz after 1994, what was to fill the out of the blue empty compact-sedan void between the Escort/Tracer and Taurus/Sable? Because it turned out, the rise of the SUV made sedans of any dimension a lot much less related to American automobile customers by the top of the Nineties, however Dearborn opted to deliver over a automobile that was promoting like loopy on the opposite aspect of the Atlantic: the Mondeo. It was bought because the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique over right here beginning as a 1995 mannequin, and a high-performance model of the Contour generally known as the SVT was launched as a 1998 mannequin. Here is a type of vehicles, present in a Denver-area self-service wrecking yard.
Ford hadn’t seen huge success with bringing automobiles to North America from its European operations previously. The Zephyr and Cortina barely registered right here, the Capri and first-generation Fiesta loved lukewarm-at-best gross sales, and the Merkur XR4Ti and Scorpio appeared attention-grabbing at first however then disappeared with out a lot hint (the U.S.-market 1981-1990 Escort was extra cousin than sibling to its European counterpart). After 2000, the Contour and Mystique have been gone, although the Mondeo-based Mercury Cougar soldiered on by means of 2002.
The Contour SVT received a warmed-up model of the two.5-liter Duratec V6, rated at 195 horsepower and 165 pound-feet for 1998 and 200 horsepower/169 pound-feet for 1999 and 2000. In a 3,100-pound automobile, that was respectable however not overwhelming energy.
Somebody purchased the transmission out of this automobile.
The one transmission out there was a five-speed guide, which excited the members of the automotive press however scared off many potential patrons. The automobile’s dealing with was exceptionally good by American requirements.
The inside was snug and felt European sufficient, nevertheless it appeared cramped for the worth. The bottom ’98 Contour LX listed at $14,460, whereas the SVT had an MSRP of $22,405 (about $27,530 and $42,657 in 2023 {dollars}).
In the meantime, a brand new ’98 Taurus sedan began at $18,245 ($34,737 after inflation).
This automobile has properly over 200,000 miles on it when its career-ending crash occurred. It seems to have been rear-ended by a fast-moving assailant after which shoved into different laborious objects.
The airbags deployed efficiently.
Simply 11,445 Contour SVTs have been bought throughout three mannequin years, making this automobile a superb instance of the rare-but-not-valuable phenomenon.
Efficiency. Substance. Exclusivity. And worth.
Over within the UK, nought-percent finance!
