At the heart of Ford’s Le Mans effort is a 5.4 liter naturally aspirated V8. The project started with the famous Coyote V8 from the production Mustang, a 5.0 liter legend among street car fans. For racing, Ford engineers in Dearborn rebuilt it from the inside out, bumping up the displacement to 5.4 liters to deliver both raw power and relentless reliability. The new engine is closely related to the powerplants now running in the Mustang GT3 and GT4 race cars, but with added durability for 24 hour battles. The result is an engine that balances brutal speed with the rock solid dependability needed for a race as tough as Le Mans.

Ford’s philosophy for this engine was all about independence and fast innovation. Dan Sayers, Ford’s WEC program lead, confirmed that the engine was developed fully in house by Ford’s team in Michigan. The brand is also collaborating with Red Bull Ford Powertrains, blending Ford’s racing legacy with Red Bull’s cutting edge Formula 1 know how. The technical goal is not just to win on track, but to learn quickly and send that tech straight into the next generation of Ford street cars.

The new V8 will be placed in a race chassis built by French motorsport expert ORECA. The car is designed to meet LMDh regulations, which means Ford will be able to compete at both IMSA events in the US and the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Unlike the old Ford GT that only chased class wins, this time Ford is back in the fight for the overall victory.