Browsing the online pages of the Ford Performance website, you’ll find a wide range of crate engines for street and race applications. The automaker’s big 7.3-liter Godzilla pushrod V8 is the latest to enter the lineup, but it could be joined in the not-too-distant future by another mill with a supercharger and far more power.
Ford is allegedly developing the 5.2-liter supercharged V8 from the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 for crate engine duty in the Ford Performance catalog. A report from Ford Authority cites management from Ford Performance talking about such a move during SEMA360, the online version of the annual SEMA show set up for 2020. It apparently won’t be a straight transition from the Shelby’s engine bay to a wooden crate, however. The report claims the setup will be a bit simpler, but stops short on specific details. Pricing and availability aren’t known yet, either.
6 Photos
It shouldn’t come as surprise to see the GT500’s Predator V8 in the running for crate engine duty. Ford Performance already offers a range of Coyote V8s from the Mustang, including a cross-plane crankshaft 5.2-liter derivative of the Shelby GT350’s mill. If the supercharged engine does make the transition, it will likely keep its performance rating of 760 horsepower (559 kilowatts) and that would easily make it the most powerful crate engine in the Blue Oval’s wheelhouse.
However, it wouldn’t be the most powerful OEM crate engine in Detroit. That honor goes to crosstown rival Dodge, which offers the insane 1,000 hp (735 kW) Hellephant 426 supercharged Hemi through Mopar. Admittedly it’s not a production-line engine, but the recently added Hellcrate Redeye supercharged Hemi is production-based. More importantly for the bench racers, it still tops Ford by offering the same 807 hp (594 kW) found in the Dodge Challenger Super Stock.
Despite the dumpster fire that’s been 2020, it’s nice to know the horsepower war in Detroit is alive and well and not limited to production cars. Your move, GM.