Peak ’80s geek-chic down to its four-eyed grin, the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO rocked a 2.3-liter turbo, a bi-plane spoiler and instantly identifiable full-face machined wheels. The rebirth of a turbo-four Mustang 31 years later was a spiritual resurrection, right down to the fabled 2.3-liter displacement. With a standard six-speed manual and an expressive color palette framed by hues of green, blue and orange, the 310-horsepower Mustang EcoBoost is a compelling package that needs just one dash of spice to bring the SVO aesthetic back to life: a decent set of wheels.

The base Mustang’s standard-issue silver flangeless five-spoke wheels are par for the segment, with a conventional (read: forgettable) design. But as Tire Rack’s configurator shows, $650 buys a set of bright white Motegi Racing MR139 rally wheels that makes the entire chassis pop, transforming the modern Mustang’s silhouette into a Group A rally homologation special.

Twister Orange paint turns the most-base Mustang into an icon in its own right, recalling the red-orange hue of the final Fox Body Cobra. Double your budget, and you can inch-up to a $1300 set of 18×8 O.Z. Rally Racing wheels with red lettering that complements the effect.

Sparco’s wheels are manufactured by O.Z., marking a low-cost way to equip Italian rally cred. The $680 set of 17-inch Sparco Terra wheels comes with a blue sticker kit that seems to hold up well during daily use, if Instagram is to be trusted. The Sparco logo color-keys well with Ford’s Velocity Blue paint — it’s not the look you’d expect to see on a Mustang, and that’s absolutely the point.

Be warned: Tire Rack’s mobile-friendly configurator is a super-fun timesuck, allowing you to thumb through your car’s OE color palette and try on different kicks. White wheels look good on everything, but there’s something forbidden and delicious about seasoning America’s performance icon with European flavor — an effect that still works three decades after the Mustang SVO gave us the idea.

@highmileage is a world-traveling automotive historian. follow adam barrera on instagram.