This Fast Ford Impressed U.K. Enthusiasts. U.S. Enthusiasts, Sadly Not So Much

In a global economy, the cars offered in the U.S. market are often seen across the rest of the world — and particularly the enthusiast models. The Porsche 911, for example, is much the same here as it is in Europe, and the same goes for the Volkswagen GTI, save for a few select trims. Irritatingly, Europe gets the current fastest front-wheel drive production car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the GTI Edition 50, but for some reason, we do not. But I digress. The point is that most performance models make it to markets worldwide. 

But more than 25 years ago, Ford gave the U.S. something based on a European sports sedan, but with a slightly different body. It was called the Ford SVT Contour, but it was sold across the pond as the Ford Mondeo ST200, and it was adored by U.K. customers.

The SVT was America's answer to the sport compact class' rising popularity: About 200 horsepower, solely manual-equipped, more enthusiastic suspension tuning, and bespoke bodywork to show its intentions. The ST200 had the same engine, transmission, and focus on fun, but while this fast Ford impressed U.K. enthusiasts, it wasn't such a hit in the U.S. It may sound like blasphemy nowadays, especially amongst Jalopnik readers, but sales numbers don't lie. Here's what made these cars special, and why, seemingly, the Brits received it far better.

Both the SVT and ST200 were thoroughly tuned for performance. They were regarded for their responsive steering, good grip, and firmer ride, and when paired with a smooth-shifting manual and torquey 2.5-liter V6, the whole package was renowned for being quite fun to wheel around. The first-year '98 SVT made 195 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque, courtesy of our 2.5 getting a better-breathing intake tube and manifold, bigger throttle body, more performance-oriented camshafts, and a wider exhaust system. The ST200 was no slouch, either, putting down 202 and 173, respectively, when it hit the showroom floor in 1999. Both hit the 60 mph mark in around 7.5 seconds.

Fun fact: Ford USA put the Mondeo's 10.9-inch front brake rotors on the SVT — but the company failed to carry over the ST2000's better-looking, touring-car-racer-resembling 17-inch wheels, too. The SVT only got 16s.

As Mike Fernie wrote of his high-mileage ST200 for Car Throttle, "The ST can be thrown into corners, compressing the stiffened sport suspension with complete composure while the steering loads up progressively in a manner that simply oozes motorsport." On the other hand, Don Schroeder wrote for Car And Driver that "the Contour SVT is a pleasure at lower speeds, but on faster corners, its soft suspension becomes a liability. We'll concede this car's need for a supple ride, given the Contour's four-door duties, but the Contour is up against purpose-built performance cars without such practicality constraints. In the handling war, it bows to them." It placed fifth out of six cars in the publication's Best-Handling Car of 1997 rankings, getting beaten out by the Honda Prelude SH, BMW 318ti Sport, Mazda Miata, and Chevy Camaro Z28.

What might've helped the Mondeo's reception — as touched on in Fernie's impressions — was the fact that it was raced extensively in the British Touring Car Championship during the '90s. Following the FIA's Class 2 Super Touring ruleset (which was originally designed for the U.K. specifically), this is widely considered one of the best chapters of professional racing; front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive compact four-doors sporting rowdy sub-two-liter engines. The action was awesome and it garnered immense fanfare. The ST200 was the UK buyer's own street-legal super tourer, with slick looks and hot performance to match.

The American-market SVT Contour never saw the same grid. The U.S.'s only taste of Super Touring was the North American Touring Car Championship, which had a sadly brief stint over here. Ironically, one team imported and raced a Euro-spec Mondeo. However, the Contour did make an appearance in SCCA Pro Racing's World Challenge. In terms of numbers, 11,500 SVTs sold over the course of three years, 1998 to 2000. Just over 4,800 ST200s were sold (1,852 in the U.K.) inside of its year-and-half run between February 1999 and August 2000. Considering the U.S. market is significantly larger than that of the U.K., the SVT's figures aren't particularly impressive.

Then, the Contour didn't sell well-enough in general during its 1995-2000 run, as price-conscious shoppers didn't find the increase in price worth the increase in quality over the Tempo that it replaced. When the model that a sport compact is based on isn't around anymore, well, pour one out. This little fast Ford impressed U.K. enthusiasts, but American buyers largely (and sadly) glossed over it. Either that, or they simply didn't get the chance to buy one due to its short run.