TO THE EDITOR:
I want to give credit where credit is due. The 1984 Mustang SVO was the first Ford vehicle with a grille-less front end. It had the same small opening with a "floating oval" Ford logo as the 1986 Taurus ("From No. 1 to no more: The Taurus, Detroit's last top-selling car, is relegated to the scrap heap — again," March 25).
The designer of the Mustang SVO, Bob Aikins, was given free rein to style a hood that would be integrated into the design of the vehicle. His sole restriction: Leave a certain number of square inches of cooling space.
It should be noted that Jack Telnack, chief design executive for Ford's North American automotive operations, had final signoff on the Mustang SVO's design.
The SVO project was an example of a small group whose innovations, creativity and speed working on a limited-production car fueled changes in the way Ford Motor Co. developed mainstream vehicles. Some innovations were easily visible, such as the hood, rim and tire combination and styling initiatives. Others were less so, such as the steering feel; noise, vibration and harshness; and electronics.
DAVID LaROCQUE, Sudbury, Ontario,The writer is author/publisher of Mustang SVO — The Machine Speaks for Itself.
