Ford Contour -original post date 4/15/2013

 

Here we have a late 90's model Ford Contour in a color that I believe is called "Willow Frost Pearl Clearcoat", but should have just been called "Bleh!" What caught my eye about this car is probably the same thing that caught yours: the fact that it is being used as a mobile Tweety bird sanctuary. Indeed, you can see dozens of the little yellow critters packed against the back window, straining for freedom from the confines of the Contour. Rest assured, little Tweeties, the coast is clear for escape at any time, as there are no "putty-tats" to be seen on this road. Fly, fly away!

The Contour was sold for a span of 5 years in the US -from 1995-2000. Europeans knew it as the Ford Mondeo long before it ever graced our highways. This car and its mechanical twin, the Mercury Mystique, replaced the outgoing Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz, and were eventually replaced themselves by the Ford Fusion and the Mercury Milan.

A Contour could be had at a few different trim levels. The base GL and the mid range LX both came standard with a 2.0L inline 4 cylinder that was good for 125HP. A step up to the sport package known as the SE put you in charge of a 2.5L V6 that was good for 170HP. The cost of these three brand new would have ranged from mid teens to around $20,000.

Here's where it gets interesting though. There was another Contour you could get called an SVT Contour. SVT is a team of engineers and specialists at Ford whose sole purpose is to build fast, fun stuff. The SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team, and if you see an SVT badge on a Ford product next to you at the stop light, think twice before trying to take them on, because they're packing a bit extra in terms of performance.

In the Contour, this translates into a modified 2.5L V6 tuned to give you about 200HP and 169 lb ft of torque -at the time, this was pretty good, and these cars are actually not that big, so it's enough of a boost to really fling this thing around. These cars came only with a a 5 speed manual transmission and were outfitted with a special body kit for ground effects and a sport tuned suspension.

I can tell you now that the Tweety bird sanctuary is not an SVT model... Not just from the lack of SVT badging, but also from the color of it. SVT Contours were only offered in Silver, Black, or Toreador Red.

So, if you're in the market for an inexpensive used car to ram around in with some friends in tow, I suggest you set your sights on an SVT Contour if you can find one. You'll get decent performance, decent mileage, and have a decent looking car that's low profile enough to keep you out of trouble. Do try to avoid converting it into a stuffed animal haven, though.