The Ford M3? '99 Ford Contour SVT - One Take 

Didn’t expect to see a bloody Mondeo on TST

This is exactly what I expect a contour svt owner to be. Congrats!

It's like watching low -energy robots talk to each other, but it's still good.

I love when the owner is well spoken and knows what he/she is talking about.

for some reason im more excited about this video than the last 100

Regardless of what cars you have on this show. I think it's awesome you guys feature them anyways. Cause at the end of the day who should care what car is better then this car or that car. It's all about what the owner of that perticular likes. Thanks for the rare odd ball cars. Keeping em comming.

I always wondered what PC Principal drove.

I think it's a nice looking car imo

Awesome knowledgeable guy. He reminds me of a high school teacher that is also a football coach

I owned a 1991 Ford Taurus SHO back in 2003, at that time everyone referred to the Contour SVT as the "Baby SHO". I've always really liked the look of this car and had almost completely forgot about them until now. You literally NEVER see these on the road anymore. Nice video!

The way he says MondeeeOOO.. lol

I always thought the Contour SVT had really nice, understated body additions on it, especially for the time

God I miss my Ebony '98 E0. Was build #393. Sounded so dam good. Had a custom engine harness, tzt to control arm, full rear poly bushings, solid link engine stabilizer, Ford racing plug wires, cai and relocated IMRC. One of the most fun cars I've ever driven.

Thanks for taking the time to meet up with me and take the Contour out for a spin. I hope to bring it back to you some time next year with a slew of additional modifications. You guys gotta meet Zack if you have the chance, great guy.

I miss SVT

I had a '98 Contour SVT. Awesome car!

This cat is a total car nerd. Love it.

mondayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyo say it with me

Great to see a SVT Mondeo (Contour) being driven. These indeed were underrated in the day. I remember them doing well in touring car racing in BTCC etc. with a highly tuned V6 screaming away. Rad car. Don't knock a FWD V6 sedan when it is properly set up, they can be very fast. One day I will get TST to drive my Alfa Romeo 155 V6, which raced against the SVT Mondeo back in the day. Also, this OCD but very knowledgeable owner is exactly who I expected to be a SVT Contour owner. Nice vid.

5:26 "not like a gerbil that found someone's espresso" Bwahahahahaha! I'm stealing that line every chance I get!

My sister has one of these. We nicknamed it ‘The Blue Bandit.’ It’s been running in the family since 2016. Unfortunately, by the time I start driving, in about 4-5 years, this car will be too old and will not be able to run anymore. My sister has to buy a new car soon, because the brakes broke, and were replaced, the whole entire radio has fallen out and apart a couple of times, and my dad said that he was gonna cube the car by the time I start driving. Good memories are attached to it. Fly high Blue Bandit

YES! An SVT Contour was my first car when I graduated high school. It was $1200 and needed some work, but I loved that thing more than any other car.

Oh man, the SVT Contour. I had a one of these back in the day and absolutely loved it... until it slung a rod due to poor oil return channels in the heads (or those shitty bearings). Still wish I had it. Cool video.

Damn those tail lights really make the car. They look so much better than the ones of the european mondeo

Damn I haven't seen a Contour in years and I remember knowing my Grandma owning the SE model back in the day which was a good car

No joke in my college time I was driving one of those in burgundy and was super cool car very quick

Looks exactly like a European Ford Mondeo from the mid to late 90's, except with different tail lights and a bodykit.

Always wondered about these svt's also. Thanks for doing a one take on this.you guys are great. Keep up amazing work

Engine note reminds me of the old BTCC Mondeos.

Love my 3.0 swapped contour, it really wakes up the car. It's a screamer I have a video of it if anyone cares to look at my videos.

A friend of mine used to have 1999 Black SVT Contour and modified quite a bit. It is a bad ass car and originally was designed to be a I4 AWD Turbo but it would have threatened the then slow as balls SVT Mustang. Sadly it was stopped being made after 2000. It was a great car(yes and yes the fact your butterflies still work is nice but yeah it is a Demon to deal with it mechanically)and had some great power for the time. A lot of people would keep the head and put the 3.0 bottom end in it. My friend nick named his 1999 SVT Contour The Dark Demon and it was just bad ass. The car has a great top end and my highly modified 1995 GLX VR6 Jetta(everything N/A/ but upper displacement)and his SVT would have a great time racing. Lots of fun if you can keep the car up mechanically and it's extremely classy looking too.

I miss my 3L SVT Contour.

Surprising how this pops up after I found a contour svt on Craigslist for 800 dollars

His shades definitely make the car look cooler lmao

This was my dream car in the early 2000s lol. Still wouldn't mind one today with a 3L swap

This was my first new car back in 2000, long live the CEG (The Striped SVT)

I remember obsessing over the contour SVT that I found on Craigslist while I was in high school just because I liked the cobra so much and I thought it would be cool to have something made by SVT for $2,500

I have a 98.5 that hasn't run in 5 years sitting in my driveway. Its complete and the body/interior are in great condition other than sitting. I haven't had the heart to scrap it so if anyone is interested please reply. NJ/PA area.

....mom had one in high school...used to bang it off the limiter every chance I got...loved the rev and gauge feel then...

Always the most enjoyable when the owner is super knowledgeable about the car.

As has already been said, in the UK this is called a Mondeo. What hasn't been said, is that the Jaguar XJ220 used rear lights from a Mondeo (not this Contour), along with a lot of interior parts. This Contour has much better rear lights though, and we never got an SVT version. We got an ST, and that was the top of the range and a real sleeper.

The SVT contour was a DIRECT response to the 3 series BMW of the 90's that was CRUSHING IT in the luxury sport market that everyone loved but never wanted to admit. Look at this, then look as a e36 bmw...they just never understood no one wanted a front wheel drive sports car

Respect for dedicating time on a forgotten car. Good to see something different.

I have a 99 contour and I actually love it lol

I remember when sport compact car tested this car against a base model Maxima. Standard maxima looked less sporty but was faster without being as high strung

Oh wow, this one brings back memories! Wanted a SVT so bad back in the day but had to settle for a 6M SE model. I thrashed that poor car for 220k miles, that duratec v6 was quite solid. Also, the owner is awesome... haha. He clearly knows the car as it has become a labor of love/hate.

My dad had this car for some time and I loved riding/driving in it. Learned how to drive a manual in it too.

The hot setup back in the day was a 3.0 swap from the same generation Taurus true story

I love seeing reviews about lesser known cars. It's refreshing.

The Ford Fusion before it was called the Fusion. They were/are both world wars.

Generally really hard car to work on yes....BUT....most delightful water pump I've ever changed. Takes like 10 mins in labor. Great torquey motor that pulls out of corners so much better than the 2.0ts that are so popular now. A lot of great driving memories in my 98.

3:47 But that JDM front end Integra though!!!

Why do I want one, I remember when they came out. I was a Ford fan boy so I loved this car

The mondeo, used mostly as cop cars in the netherlands back in the day. Pretty comfy backseat i must admit.

I owned a 98 Contour SE Sport with the V6 in pacific green (my brother-in-law had the SVT in metallic red). Despite all it faults, it was a great driver. I bought it largely because CR called it a "BMW at half the price" and for the most part, they were right. Finally traded it in after 7 years when the problems started to pile up. Miss it, tho. Fun fact: Porsche and Cosworth helped with engine design.

Jesus christ, bring back Matt.. I'd listen to him talk about watches all day,,,

I still love and one these cars, Man they still sound great. ( I almost bought one but didn't trust the car due to the milage and dealer)

I always liked how these looked back in the day.

In Germany these are still everywhere... well, not the V6 version, that's rather rare, but old Mondeos are quite abundant. Cheap, large (for European standards) and generally reliable.

WTF is he talking about? I own a '99. Have owned it for 8 years. Before that I owned a 98 for a few years (bought with a blown motor and completely rebuilt). I've replaced spark plugs bi-yearly, never pulled the intake. Starter, never pulled the intake. Alternator, never pulled the intake. Some repairs might be tricky, but these cars are no worse to work on than any other compact FWD.

The original four door stang! Lol

Cool review! Love the Contour - good stuff!

i had mine catch fire in the relay box, but that's probably my fault. the radiator fan wasn't working so i put a giant packing staple to circumvent the relay

I had one about 10 years ago. Pieces of shit, they are. Two hub bearings went out, which required pressing in new ones in the specially made hubs, or somehow sourcing them. Ford discontinued support of the Contours almost immediately. It also ATE sway bar end links. The pogoing and hopping when cornering is terrifying until you learn how to drive with it. Also, watch those right hand turns. Due to brilliant engine design, all the oil would flow to the left side of the engine, starving it, causing it to blow up. I know people who would buy them and put in the better 3.0L from the Taurus because that engine wouldn't blow up when cornering. The driver's side window motor stopped working, and the choices are either cutting and rewelding in the supports to replace the motor, or replace the whole door. Too many specialty parts, and too much in the middle of Ford's "DON'T GIVE A FUUUUUUUUUUUCK" phase. Think reliability of the 2002 Ford Focus. And when the owner replied that you drop the engine for everything, he wasn't kidding. And they are truly mechanical knightmares. I wouldn't recommend getting them if someone paid you $5000 for it.

Nice homework Zach! One of the most informative One Takes. Thanks Zach and Alex!

Ive had two of these, really fun cars

I had one with a 3L duratec swap and it was a fun little car. Miss it sometimes but just need larger cars now. But its a really popular and easy swap for the right cars.

It would be so cool to sit down and drink a beer with Zack and Matt

I owned one exactly like this, but with blue leather interior. If it was a '99, they bumped HP to 200 though.

Good job SVT contour guy much better video than SVT focus guy 😂

Theres one with a cammed Taurus V6. It sounds so good!

I LOVE these. My second car was a CSVT, and it was the car that I learned how to drive a manual gearbox. Was painted in a BMW blue, had 18" aftermarket wheels, and a Borla catback exhaust. I loved that car. Excited to see this posted.

The SVT had two intake manifolds -- one for each of the two intake valves per cylinder. Below 4000 RPM the engine only used one manifold for better velocity and mixing. Above 4000 RPM the secondary intake butterfly opened and caused the power kick you feel at that RPM. I had one of the first ones ever made; built in March 1997. Drove it like I stole it for 275,000 miles. Very reliable, fun, and comfortable.

I owned a 99 mondeo st24 and really regret selling it, best car I've had, but lust for boost took over.

A bloody mondeo. Hahhaha

I wanted one of these back in the day. And now, secretly (or not so secretly I guess), I still do. I dig these models.

Owned this car 2000 same exterior colour but black leather interior. Owned from 2002 - 2016. Fantastic car. 5 HP more (200) stock from the factory and a rear sproiler

I had the same car , it was fun! Surprised alot of people in the street!

Nice video, love the Contour SVT, hats off to the owner, very knowledgeable about the car, amazing it held 39 laps at Willow Springs, love that he’s tracking it

one of the few fwd performance cars im actually interested in

I think that the Mondeo had a good steering, so this should be a tired example. Back then it was praised for its handling and it shows, but after almost 20 years the car doesn't feel fast anymore

I had a 99 Mistake (Mystique) LS V6 auto and it was pretty fun. Always had a soft spot for the SVT Contour. Thanks for bringing it owner. It is a huge pain to work on though, big engine in a small area and everything is on the firewall side.

Over here its called a mk1 mondeo st200. Really under rated car and looks really cool. Love the rear end of the US version. They were very popular over here

DON'T BUY REMAN PARTS. I used to work at a big auto parts store and we stocked reman parts from Cardone. It was honestly 50% chance they were bad out of the box. From starters and alternators to racks and power steering pumps, I've had parts failed out of the box. I went through 3 reman pumps for my f-150 before I found one that didn't whine. If you can, buy new, the only reman parts you should buy are calipers, even then make sure the brackets are right because we had a lot of returns because the bracket was wrong.

Thanks for the trip down Memory Ln! One of the guys in my group of close friends had a black SVT Contour. We used to rip around in the car all the time. I think its one of the best sounding V6's around. We even convinced a guy that SVT mean Super Variable Terrain and with the push of a button the car would lift up for off roading. Another funny memory was a friend was driving the car for the first time learning to drive manual. Our favorite thing to do in Maine was yell at people out the window. As we are yelling at a group of guys getting them pissed off my buddy is trying to take off but keeps stalling. The owner just yells REV IT UP AND DUMP IT MAX! Right as the angry mob gets within 5 feet of the car he drops the clutch and the car SCREEEEEEEMS! Tire smoke fills the air and he launches that thing like a pro driver.

Is the that SVT the same as UK's Mondeo ST? Great driving roads over there! Looks great fun!

i'm probably wrong, but is this filmed in the Ortega mountains?

Thumbs up for @Savagegeese trackside support at 20:56

Wow. This brings back memories. I remember wanting this as my first car. It was between this and the Probe

That rear end redesign for the US market is a questionable decision! The European Mondeo ST24 was a much nicer looking car.

P.Tan seats in a MNB car what are you doing! come drive mine 00 with the T2 diff, koni's, ground control coilovers, and the BAR rear sway bar, then you'll ahve a great time.

My cousins husband has a contour svt. Anytime we get together we race. Like everytime. Every holiday. Lol. He has a 3.0 liter block and some head work. It's a pretty good match up for my k04 1.8t volkswagen. He's faster out the hole, but I can kill him from a 60 roll.

Can’t believe I made it to 7 minutes ! I did have a rental contour in high school. Back seat was excellent for my knees 👌👌

OK I'M GONNA BE THE DUMBASS HERE BUT .... WHO IS THIS FELLA???

I had one of these 😀. Love that car. Also had a 91' SHO.

Dudes serious about his SVT contour....very serious.

Nice conversation

Not a nightmare ti work on dude ive had 3 of this . changing spark plugs you just use en extensión..

This makes me want to go start mine!!

Saw some close calls, better not give him anything faster than a Contour SVT