Ford offering Mustang GT500’s 760-hp mill as a crate engine

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Plugging an outsized engine into a project car has been the hallmark of hot-rodding since roughly the dawn of the automobile. In 2021, the speed freaks at Ford Performance are glad to indulge our lead feet by offering the GT500 engine – all 760 horsepower of it – as a crate motor.

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And, yes, we know — the word ‘motor’ should be reserved for electric vehicles. Permit us this throwback term just this once, mmmkay? Listed on the Ford Performance website for a cool US$25,995, this 5.2L supercharged beast belts out 625 lb-ft of torque in addition to the horsepower figure listed above.

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Accessories such as exhaust manifolds, alternator, and starter are included in the deal, making this more than just a naked block. Dry weight is in the neighbourhood of 530 pounds, if you’re wondering. Hilariously, the listing states an instruction sheet is not available.

While the asking price may be considered ambitious, it’s certainly preferable to plucking a used unit out of a wrecked GT500, one which the builder may not know the history or provenance of. Your author will point out, however, that one can purchase a 5.0L Coyote long-block for $5,500 and will find themselves in command of 460 horsepower. For the less than price of one 5.2L, one could get four of these things (that’s a total of 1,840 hp) though finding room for 32 cylinders in a project car will be kind of tough.

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Also worth mentioning is the relative value of the newly released Eluminator all-electric crate motor, good for 480 horses and costing just US$3,900. That setup appeared in Ford’s tremendous SEMA build, one which took an F-100 pickup and dragged it into the 21st century in fine style by also appending some Mach-E gubbins to its ‘70s interior without making it look like an afterthought.

What vehicle which would you install this engine in? Do the obvious and plunk one in a vintage Mustang? Or perform sacrilege and stick it up the nose of a C3 Corvette? Or would you pass on it altogether in favour of the Eluminator? Sound off below.