Ford re-entered the supercar market with the modular-powered 2005–2006 GT. These cars were capable of 0–60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph. Vehicle provided by Blake Hartman.
With current CAFE regulations, manufacturers are free to build higher horsepower in trucks than they are with cars. The first modular engines to be supercharged from the factory were the Lightning trucks in the 1990s. This 2014 Raptor features the largest displacement V-8 modular platform available, the 6.2 SOHC.
The supercharged 5.4 installed in the Ford GT is custom built and puts out 550 hp stock. If you look closely you can see the dual fuel injectors fitted to these special engines. By overdriving the supercharger (pulley change) and a program upgrade these engines are capable of well more than 800 hp. Vehicle provided by Blake Hartman.
The 2013–2014 Shelby GT500 is equipped with the most powerful engine ever installed in a factory-built Ford, 662 hp and 631 ft-lbs of torque. Along with its 200-mph top end, it is fully capable of driving around in city traffic without overheating or being finicky.
Swap Spotlight: The Mustang in Black
For the first 10 years of the modular engine, the conversions to other vehicles were primarily novelties used in high-end cars and not considered practical for common use vehicles. The technology was different, more expensive, and at the time, the performance and mileage differences between the modular engine and the latest pushrod engines were not significantly different. Most of the conversion parts had to be fabricated because parts to install the new engines just didn’t exist. And even though we had EFI computers since the 1980s, most owners found the conversion intimidating.
Mustang in Black (MIB) was built in conjunction with Mustang Monthly and Mustang and Fords magazine, and it was more than just an engine swap. It was built to prove that the newer technology could be adapted to the earlier cars, and could be used in a practical way, rather than just as a novelty. MIB was built to show that the same performance, convenience, and controls built into new cars could be applied to older-model cars and be a practical alternative to a pushrod conversion. Most engine swaps at that time concerned themselves only with the engine and somehow making it run. MIB incorporates all the drivetrain improvements from a 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra into a 1968 Mustang chassis. The Mustang in Black represents the full range of why you would want to choose a modular engine swap. It has plenty of power, starts with the hit of the key, gets great gas mileage if you keep your foot out of it, and you can take it to any Ford dealer in the country and the dealership can talk to it.
The project goal was summed up in a single statement: “This is what SVT would have built had they been around in 1968.” To that end, the goal was not to make a Shelby clone, an unreasonable super car, or a car that was chromed out for show. Instead, the builders took a practical approach to the build, to which one paint rep stated, “Its understated appearance is what puts it over the top.”
The Mustang in Black (MIB) was built by the author and was featured in Mustang Monthly and Mustang and Fords magazine back in the mid-2000s. Not only was the 1968 chassis fitted with a 99 Cobra engine, but the complete drivetrain and electronics package were incorporated to demonstrate the new technology would work in the older chassis.
The 320-hp 4.6 DOHC engine was fitted to the 1968 engine bay and fits under the stock hood. In addition the suspension was installed in the chassis. Rather than apply a lot of chrome and polish, the designers decided to go for a look that would say, “This is how SVT would have built it had it been around in 1968.” One journalist said it best: “What makes this car over the top is its understatement.”
The donor vehicle for the project was a 1999 Mustang Cobra convertible that had been wrecked but was a complete, driving vehicle. The goal was to use as many of the systems from the donor vehicle as possible, and graft them into the 1968 Mustang fastback chassis. Most of the parts on MIB have a Ford part number on them. The car’s powerplant is a naturally aspirated 32-valve DOHC V-8 that makes 320 hp. No modifications were needed to the engine and the only aftermarket improvement to the engine was the inclusion of the K&N Cobra air filter, which fit the 1968 chassis perfectly. Other than the air filter, every original system is as it was when the car left the Ford assembly plant.
The original Tremec T-45 5-speed transmission and clutch assembly were used, as they were low mileage and still in good shape. The first clutch system used the original fork and throwout bearing mated to a Ron Morris Performance cable clutch conversion, which used the sheath in the cable assembly to pull the clutch forward. This was later replaced with a hydraulic throwout bearing and clutch master cylinder. With the placement of the engine in the engine compartment, only a minor trim of about an inch was necessary at the front of the transmission shifter hole to make the Tremec fit. With the addition of the 1968 console, an offset shifter handle was used and the modification was completely hidden.
When deciding on the suspension, the builders avoided using the original suspension or a conversion to an aftermarket Mustang II. They wanted this car to perform and ride like a new car, so the front MacPherson Strut suspension was used and the rear was adapted to run the new-for-1999 Cobra independent rear suspension. Rather than cutting the suspension to work in the chassis, the chassis was designed to bolt the new components in as original, so none of the Ford geometry was changed in the conversion. This also means that any type of aftermarket improvements made to the SN-95 Mustang suspension would bolt up to the 1968 Mustang. The only changes to the front suspension were the addition of Hotchkis caster/camber plates, a set of Koni Sport struts, and the front coils were cut down by one coil. The remainder is all Ford. The only change to the independent rear suspension was a set of Koni adjustable coil-over shocks and Hypercoil springs.
The complete factory K-member and front MacPherson strut suspension were grafted to the original 1968 chassis via a new set of frame rails and major surgery. The donor car was a convertible, and the original 1999 Cobra convertible under-chassis brace was modified to tie into the factory 1968 Mustang torque boxes and thus provide additional chassis stiffening.
The original 1999 hydroboost braking system was nearly a bolt-in solution and all the original hoses were used. Because the original computer and all four original ABS wheels were still in place, the Bosch ABS unit was also used and functions in the car. Brakes are all stock 1999 Cobra, 13 inches up front and 11 inches in the rear.
The computer system is the stock EEC-V Cobra computer with only a change to bypass the PATS system and the upgrade of the K&N filter. The use of the factory computer and wiring harness allowed the use of the electronic speed control and factory traction control defeat circuit (cleverly hidden in the 1968 reverse lockout pull in the shifter handle). The