"As an apprentice mechanic at a Ford dealership, you usually don’t get the nice cars to work on. You get the rusted old cars with leaky brake lines, or you’re stuck with tires and oil changes all day.  That all changed in the summer of 2003.  I was sent out to see if a customer's Contour could fit onto the alignment rack.  I didn’t understand what the problem was until I had the keys in my hand and was slipping out the door to pull it in.

There, in front of me, sat a gorgeous 1999 SVT Contour.  I slipped behind the wheel, placed a clean floor mat on top of the embroidered SVT floor mat (didn’t want to get it dirty now), and I fell in love -- I mean, I started the car and headed for the shop.

Just to give you some history on myself, I love 4 doors: the Tempo, Contour, and Taurus. I have owned them all and loved them all (some more than others).  They are practical cars to drive, and if you can give it some power, like the SVT’s or the SHO’s, how can you go wrong?

As it turned out, the SVT Contour was able to fit onto the alignment rack, and we would be working on it in the weeks to come.  As I returned the car to the parking lot I met the owner and asked him about his machine.  He gave me the rundown on the 'special edition' Contour that he had and that he drove it all year round. I told that lucky owner that I was in Contour withdrawal due to an accident that saw my ’95 SE being written off.  Before I could stop myself, my inner voice came out and I proposed to him that I was interested in his SVT if he was ever in the market for a new car.

I didn’t think much else about that conversation. We parted our separate ways and that was that. November soon rolled around and the car was back at the shop. I was delighted when I saw it in the parking lot again. I soon found out that the owner of the 'special edition' Contour was not looking for service. Instead, he was looking for me!  He had decided he was buying a new car and informed me his Contour was mine, if I wanted it. 

Wanted it??? It’s only the crème de la crème of domestic sport sedans. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!!!!   Sure it was a month away, but a little early Christmas present never hurts anybody (except for my wallet), right?

So that’s my story. That gorgeous ’99 SVT Contour I have is my baby. In early December 2003, it came home with me from work one day in the middle of a snow stor, and it’s never seen snow since. The only modifications to the car are the Eibach springs and a K&N air filter. 

I don’t think I would want to change much even if I had the money. After all, it is an SVT."