Ford hasn't ruled out a born-again Mustang SVO

We didn't see it in New York, but the model could nonetheless make a comeback.

Credible rumors claimed the Mustang High Performance introduced at the 2019 New York auto show would resurrect the storied SVO nameplate. We now know that they weren't accurate, but the Blue Oval might stick the three-letter nameplate on a hot-rodded, four-cylinder-powered Mustang sooner or later.

Motor1 asked Ford about the SVO name. "Not this one," a spokesperson replied, referring to the High Performance model. That's admittedly vague, but it's not a flat-out denial. Ford is, at the very least, leaving the door open to a modern-day SVO.

If launched, the SVO would need to accelerate quicker and handle better than the High Performance (pictured) without gaining cylinders. The variant unveiled in New York uses a turbocharged, 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine tuned to 330 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. How much more power Ford can squeeze out of the EcoBoost is up in the air, but the variant of the engine found in the now-retired Focus RS made 350 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque.

When we'll see the born-again SVO hasn't been made public yet -- Ford hasn't even confirmed the model's arrival. Recent unverified rumors claim the next-generation Mustang won't arrive until 2026, and it will possibly ride on a platform shared with the Explorer, so the company has plenty of time to release additional variants of the current-generation car.