The Special Vehicle Team Owners Association (SVTOA), the official enthusiast club for fans of Ford SVT-produced vehicles, has adopted a new logo to coincide with the announcement of a new mailing address and a retooled business direction for the Michigan-based performance car club.
The new SVTOA logo should look quite familiar to followers of the SVT brand. That’s because it closely mirrors Ford’s own original SVT logo, incorporating the same “winding road” graphic that the niche group eventually replaced with the famed Ford oval.
“By adopting such recognizable elements in our new club logo, we’re demonstrating exactly what differentiates the SVTOA from all the other clubs out there, and that is our unique ties to former staffers and engineers of the Ford Special Vehicle Team,” explained Marcie Cipriani, SVTOA Business Director.
Ms. Cipriani secured Ford Brand Licensing approval for the new logo after discovering that many SVT vehicle owners associated the club’s longstanding checkered flag-themed logo with previous now-defunct iterations of the Ford-founded club, as well as its once-singular focus on road racing and on-track performance driving events.
Just 18 months after securing an exclusive Ford license to operate the SVTOA as an independent, private organization, club directors have now broadened the scope of the SVTOA to include all aspects of the enthusiast hobby – from providing historical information in its critically acclaimed club magazine SVT Enthusiast, to supporting car shows, cruises and now drag racing events, as well as those traditional track outings.
“There are some 200,000 owners of SVT-produced vehicles out there, and we think the SVTOA’s new direction, as personified by the new logo, will help us connect to them in a valuable way,” said Jayson Demchak, SVTOA Membership Director. “We’re in the process of re-chartering our regional chapters who still use previous versions of the SVTOA logo so that we can help them retain the use of these highly recognizable Ford trademarks.”
To better serve its growing membership base, the SVTOA has also moved its National Headquarters address to: 18524 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236 – into offices next door to its previous location, and without the stigma of a “Box” number. The club’s website (www.SVTOA.com), email address ([email protected]), and Fax phone number (313-885-3124), all stay the same.
“We applaud the SVTOA’s efforts to expand its membership appeal to the legions of SVT owners and fans,” said John Clor of Ford Racing’s Ford Performance Group. “As a charter club promoted on www.FordPerformance.com, we look forward to supporting the SVTOA’s work connecting with owners of all the great vehicles that SVT has produced.”
Club directors say the new logo, address and attitude are just the first steps in helping the SVTOA grow to international prominence in the enthusiast community. To that end, look for news about the “SVT SuperFest” 2010 National Convention that the SVTOA is planning in conjunction with other SVT-based clubs. For now, expect to see the new SVTOA logo on some cool, new apparel offered at www.SVTOAstore.com, just in time for Christmas!
