Special Vehicle Team, also known as SVT, was an arm of
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
responsible for the development of the company's
highest-performance vehicles. Established in 1991,
[ SVT was the successor to the SVO division. The last SVT Director was Hermann Salenbauch. SVT was previously led by Hau Thai-Tang (2004–2007) and John Coletti (1993-2004). In 2015, Ford Racing, alongside Ford Team RS and Special Vehicle Team, merged into a global entity named ]Ford Performance
Ford Performance (formerly Ford Racing) is the high-performance division of the Ford Motor Company and the multinational name used for its motorsport and racing activity.
History
* 1896 – Henry Ford reached a top speed of 20 mph in his ...
.
Information
The group mainly produces specially tuned versions of Ford production vehicles such as the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor which is based on the Ford F150. However, they do occasionally develop models independently of the rest of the company, namely the GT supercar (developed in conjunction with Saleen
Saleen Automotive, Inc., commonly known as Saleen (/səˈliːn/), is an American manufacturer of specialty high-performance sports cars and high-performance automotive parts. Saleen is headquartered in Corona, California, in the United States, a ...
). SVT was founded in 1983 by John Plant of Ford Marketing, Janine Bay of Ford Mustang Program Management, and Robert Burnham of Ford Truck Program Management. Originally known as Special Vehicle Operations, SVO developed the 1984–1986 2.3-liter turbo-charged 4-cylinder Mustang SVO, as well as marketed performance parts through dealer networks (now known as Ford Performance Parts, or FPP).
Ford SVT debuted the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor high-performance off-road truck. Using a completely re-designed suspension, with internal-bypass Fox Racing Shocks and specially developed BF Goodrich all-terrain 35" tires, the Raptor is considered an OEM-style "pre-runner." Pre-runners are reconnaissance vehicles used for high-speed testing of off-road race courses before a race.
F-150 SVT Raptor
SVT vehicles
SVT is credited in the following vehicles:
* 1993 SVT Cobra
* 1993 SVT Cobra R
* 1993-1995 Ford SVT Lightning
* 1994-1995 SVT Cobra
* 1995 SVT Cobra R
* 1995 Ford Thunderbird SVT (Concept car)
* 1995 Ford GT90
* 1996-1998 SVT Cobra
* 1998-2000 SVT Contour
* 1999-2001 SVT Cobra
* 2000 SVT Cobra R
* 1999-2004 Ford SVT Lightning
* 2000 Ford SVT Thunder (unreleased car based on the 2000 Ford Expedition
The Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV produced by Ford since the 1997 model year. The successor to the Ford Bronco, the Expedition shifted its form factor from an off-road oriented vehicle to a truck-based station wagon. Initially competing ...
)
* 2003-2004 SVT Cobra
* 2002-2004 SVT Focus
* 2005–2006 Ford GT
The Ford GT is a Mid-engine design, mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company, Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second gene ...
* 2007-2009 SVT/Shelby GT500
* 2010–2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, (the 2017-present Raptor loses the SVT prefix)
* 2010-2014 SVT/Shelby GT500
See also
* Ford TeamRS, Ford's European performance car and motorsport division
* Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV), Ford Australia's performance car division
References
External links
Ford SVT
on Ford Performance
Official Ford SVT collector cars
{{Automotive industry in the United States
*
Ford Motor Company
Official motorsports and performance division of automakers