Ford's Flat Crank V8: A Speculation..

"BeMark" (BeMark) 11/19/2014 at 17:24 • Filed to: None

7

0

So all this talk about a flat crank V8 in the new Mustang GT350 sent the wheels in my brain a turning. When the brain starts a turning that leads to George Bush style "speculation".

With all the great attributes a flat plane crank brings to the table as enumerated by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and many others I got to thinking big picture at Ford. Why would you spend the R&D to make a v8 that has no place in what is arguably your most important v8 segment, trucks? More importantly what could you really do with an engine setup that is more at home on the track instead of the street?

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

As any good Oppo would answer, Because Racecar! And if you're Ford and the answer is because racecar you need some power train development. Usually you keep these things secrete but that can be a pain in the ass, so what you do is hide that secrete in the daylight. Say the new GT350??

So now you're Ford and the answer is because racecar, well that only means one thing: GT40. Oh and you don't say that 2016 happens to be the 50th anniversary of their victory over Ferrari at La Mans. And Ford really want's to expand the euro market in a big way, racing at Le Mans could generate some much needed buzz.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I say that the gt350 flat crank is really engine development for the next GT40ish thing out of Ford. Not to mention vision cars are all the rage these days..

Now back to that Ford truck line that wouldn't really make use of a high revving and comparatively low torque V8 a la the flat crank. To a Skunk Works race team an all aluminum production truck line would look like heaven. Think of all the learning that Ford has put forth to make a light weight aluminum truck and apply that to a homologation production line of GT40's with flat crank V8's, maybe twin turbos...

I think we could have an Aluminum Monster on our hands.