Retro-fitting a CAN bus to a pre-OBD2 SVX?

[irox]

Hey SVX fans,

I've got a project where I want to interface a computer with the SVX's ECU (and possibly other SVX control units). The easiest way is to write a custom drive to talk straight to the ECU and get the data I want. Another option would be creating a piece of custom hardware which talks to the ECU and outputs CAN bus signals, then I can use existing software for listening/talking to the CAN bus.

Can (no pun intended) anybody think of useful applications for a CAN bus retrofit on a older car?
Are there modern car components/add-ons that require CAN bus?

It sounds interesting, but I can't see a lot of uses for it, and it's going to be less work for me just to talk straight to the ECU.

Thanks for any input on this!
Ian.