Ford’s Flat-Plane Crankshaft V8 Gets 526 Horsepower, Sounds Insane
The 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8 found in the upcoming Shelby GT350 and GT350R
One of the few aspects of the all-new Ford Mustang Shelby GT350/GT350R that has not received nearly enough attention is the all-new 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8, which Ford touts as the most power-dense and most powerful naturally-aspirated engine in Ford’s history. For the longest time, we didn’t even actually know how powerful it would be.
Now we do.
Ford says that the Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R will benefit from its 5.2-liter flat-plane crankshaft V8 to the tune of 526 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. This equals out to 102 horsepower per liter of displacement and a redline of 8,250 rpm—the highest ever for any Ford V8.
“The Shelby GT350 program began with a clear objective—create the most balanced, nimble and exhilarating production Mustang yet,” said Jamal Hameedi, Ford Performance chief engineer. “Every change we made to this car was driven by the functional requirements of a powerful, responsive powerplant. The high-revving, naturally aspirated 5.2-liter flat-plane V8 delivers on every target we set—high horsepower, broad torque curve, aggressive throttle response and light weight.”
If you need more convincing that this thing is going to be an absolute monster, then you need to just stop what you’re doing right now, plug in your headphones, and listen good.
If chocolate made a sound, it wouldn’t be half as delicious as this engine. Good lord.
The Shelby GT350 and GT350R are expected to arrive in a limited 2015 model-year run at the end of this year, starting from $47,870 MSRP.
Gallery: Ford’s New 5.2-Liter Flat-Plane Crankshaft V8
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