A Feasibility Study of the Ford 4.6L 4-Valve Modular V8 Engine for Use in Road Racing Applications

This paper describes the joint effort between Ford Motor Company, Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), and Roush Industries to investigate the feasibility of making a production Ford 4.6L 4-Valve Modular V8 Engine into a 600 BHP road racing engine.

All areas of the production engine design were addressed due to the anticipated increase in power and engine speed. No attempt was made to obtain race level durability or specific vehicle packaging.

The test results showed that the objective power level was achieved at lower than anticipated engine speed. In addition, the torque values and band width were consistent with current road racing engine performance levels.

In summary, the Ford 4.6L 4-Valve Modular V8 Engine can be developed into a competitive road racing engine. See FIGURE A.