Ford is not only famous for producing beautiful and stylish car models, but it is also famous for producing engines.
Ford motor company is an American automotive company, which was founded by Henry Ford with the help of his 11 associate investors in 1903. In 1919, Ford and his wife Clara and son Edsel acquired the company’s full ownership. Ford has developed some of the best engines.
Since its establishment in 1903, Ford has produced trucks, cars, tractors, and vans. Ford has produced over 300 million vehicles, an impressive number for any car manufacturer. Before we talk about the best engines built by Ford, let’s talk about the engine. An engine converts one form of energy into mechanical energy. In gasoline engines, the engine burns fuel to move the vehicle.
Ford is not only famous for producing beautiful and stylish car models, but it is also famous for producing engines. After all, engines are the heart of a car.
In this article, we’ll talk about the 7 best engines ever manufactured by Ford. Let’s get started!
Flathead V8 was introduced in 1932 is the first influential and the most popular engine built by Ford. At the time, Ford Flathead V8 was a powerful and advanced car engine. The engine was mass-produced and took the car engine technology to the next level. The Flathead V8 engine’s power was 65 HP; it seems if you compare it with the engines present today, but 65 HP was more than enough at the time, and only luxury vehicles got an eight-cylinder engine.
At the time, Ford’s most significant competitor was Chevrolet, and they introduced the V8 23-years later in 1955. The V8 engine remained in production for over 20-years, and during these years, millions of units were sold. The power was upgraded with time to 125 HP. One of the essential features of V8 was its tuning potential; with few backyards tweaks, you could generate twice the power. The V8 engine created the engine tuners trend, which is alive today.
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289 CID 4.7L V8 engine was introduced in 1963, and it was a small block that was introduced for entry-level models. The engine had smaller dimensions as compared to other engines and had lightweight. 289 V8 engine offered decent power to the car enthusiasts. The engine was available in all the car models produced by Ford, such as Galaxie 500 to Falcon. But the engine paired perfectly with Ford Mustang was introduced in 1964.
The small V8 engine paired perfectly with Mustang and suited the character of the car. Its base variants had a single, dual-barrel carburetor and 200 HP output; the engine delivered an outstanding performance. The engine was upgraded to 221 HP and then to 271 HP and then 289 HiPo. The HiPo 289 version featured an intake system, four-barrel carburetor, and tougher internals. Overall, the 289 V8 small block was one of the best engines produced by Ford.
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Ford introduced the legendary cobra jet engine in mid-1968, and it was the new muscle car engine. When Ford’s competitors, such as Chevrolet, were producing impressive engines, Ford needed a new engine to fight their competitors. As a result, Ford came up with the cobra jet engine. The engine was mass-produced; it was robust, durable, and affordable. The 428-cobra jet was the rate at 335 HP by Ford, but the engine offered more power than 335.
The engine delivered a power of up to 450 HP, and it was enough to get the title of the stock car champion. Cobra jet engine was also the winner of different illegal car races. Ford produced over 20K units of cobra jet engines, and they also produced super cobra jet, which featured performance upgrades and tougher internals. Today the cobra jet engine is known as the legendary muscle car engine.
Boss 429 is one of the best engines ever produced by Ford for muscle cars. The engine was introduced in 1969 as a pure race car engine, and it was intended to be used in NASCAR. The 429 Ford engine had a different shape and design than other big-block engines produced by Ford. It featured a semi-Hemi combustion chamber, delivered better power and torque.
The engine was rated at 375 HP by Ford, but it delivered a power of up to 500 HP. The engine was installed into Ford Mustang, but NASCAR didn’t approve it because they accepted full-size and intermediate cars only. The engine was available in 1960 and 1970, and there were only 1300 units of Boss 429 produced, which makes it one of the most desirable engines even today.
After the passing of the muscle car era in the 1970s, all engine and car manufacturer focused on producing low compression engines. Ford produced the shadow version of the former V8 engines. Ford offered V8 5.0 in the cars like Mustang, and the company upgraded the specifications and power output continuously from 140 HP in 1979. Ford offered 5.0 in the Mustang GT, which offered 170 horsepower output.
In 1986 the most significant change was introduced by Ford, and it was the electronic fuel injection intake system. The introduction of the 5.0 fuel injection system completely transformed the old unit into a modern muscle car engine. The 5.0 EFI had a 225 HP rating, and it delivered better fuel efficiency. The engine was installed in lightweight Mustang, and even today, Mustang’s with 5.0 engines are famous for their legendary performance.
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Voodoo V8 is one of the most powerful and the best engines produced by Ford. The company presented its engine called Cayote 5.0 V8 in 2010, and it was called the best modern engine at the time. Coyote V8 featured different modern components such as a 32-valve head, variable valve timing system, and much more. However, the Voodoo V8 took the crown as the best modern Ford engines.
The engine has a capacity of 5.2L displacement, and it was built on the Cayote architecture with slightly different features. The engine featured flat-plane crankshaft, forged pistons and high flow heads, an exhaust system, and heavy-duty internals. The output of the V8 Voodoo was 526 HP. It is one of the advanced muscle car engines ever produced by Ford.
So far, in the list of the best engines produced by Ford, you have seen V8 engines, which offered high power and ultimate displacement, but that’s not the whole story. Ford also produced small and affordable engines for economic models and has sold millions of units over time. Ford introduced eco-boost engines in its turbocharged engine family in 2009. The engine was economical and included modern features. The engine was produced in different sizes, power outputs, applications, and cylinder configurations.
The eco boost engines were the best choice at the time of economic recession because they were affordable and delivered a better fuel efficiency. Even today, Ford is offering different variants of eco-boost engines. There are 1.0L 3-cylinder and 4-cylinder engines. Ford is also producing more significant variants of eco boost that offer displacement of 2.7L and 3.5L. Even modern Ford Mustang features 2.3L 4-cylinder engines. Overall, Ford eco boost engines are the best engines ever produced by Ford.
Ford is one of the biggest automobile company, and the company continues the legacy of Henry Ford. The company has produced some amazing engines with all shapes, sizes, and power outputs from its establishment till today. The engines mentioned in this list are the best engines produced by Ford.
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| Rank | Company | Country |
|---|---|---|
| #1 |  Volkswagen |
Germany |
| #2 |  Toyota |
Japan |
| #3 |  Stellantis |
Netherlands |
| #4 |  Mercedes-Benz Group |
Germany |
| #5 |  Ford Motor |
United States |
| Rank | Company | Country |
|---|---|---|
| #1 |  Michelin |
France |
| #2 |  Bridgestone |
Japan |
| #3 |  Continental |
Germany |
| #4 |  Goodyear |
United States |
| #5 |  Sumitomo |
Japan |
