SVT Owners Association Stirs Passion for the Ford Brand

By: Emily Engelman | Ford Communications Network

SVTOA volunteer instructor, Jim Bandy, conducts a brief ground school prior to the kick off of an On Track event. DEARBORN -- Owners and fans of the high-performance, limited-edition products that make up the Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) share an enthusiasm for speed on the open road. One of the advantages that comes along with owning a Ford SVT product is the opportunity to join the SVT Owners Association (SVTOA) and share the passion with others who feel the same. As it begins its fourth year of operation, the SVT enthusiast club is not only going strong, it's picking up speed. The Association has grown to nearly 50 chapters and has over 25,000 active members located throughout the United States and Canada.

"We created the SVTOA in 2000 for the highly involved SVT owner," says Tom Scarpello, Ford SVT sales and marketing manager. "The Association provides members with opportunities to have great driving experiences. 'Drive safe and have fun' is our mission statement. This exclusive Association is another way we're enhancing the SVT ownership experience and the core values of SVT: performance, substance, exclusivity and value."

The chapters, headed by a volunteer and sponsored by a local SVT-certified dealer, are the backbone of SVTOA. Ford SVT also provides support for the SVTOA, which stages various activities for its members throughout the year, including car shows, cruise nights and over 600 performance driving events in 2004. Chapters also come together on a regional basis to sponsor and conduct on-track performance driving activities. In 2004 these will be held in Florida, Colorado, California, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Texas and Canada. These events offer members safe and fun driving experiences, so they can develop their driving skills and experience their vehicles' performance capabilities in a safe, controlled environment.

SVTOA membership also includes:

Access to the members-only section of the club website, www.svtoa.com A subscription to "SVT Enthusiast" magazine Benefits provided by club sponsors, including discounts on goods and services

2004 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra, SVT Focus and F-150 SVT Lightning. For more information on SVT products, visit the SVT website. While at its core the club is based on ownership of a Ford SVT vehicle -- current production models are the Ford SVT Mustang Cobra, SVT F-150 Lightning and SVT Focus – membership and participation in local, regional and national events is open to any fan of Ford performance vehicles as long as they own a Ford family product. This includes Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Volvo, Aston Martin and Land Rover products.

For more information on the SVT Owners Association or to become a member, visit www.svtoa.com.