This is a brand new, completely unused first-generation Ford GT engine that was bought as a spare unit by a GT owner. It was never needed in the end, and it’s now being sold as likely one of the few remaining first-generation Ford GT V8s in new condition.
The engine is a supercharged 5.4 liter V8 with double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, an aluminum engine block, aluminum cylinders heads, forged aluminum pistons, a forged steel crankshaft, forged H-beam connecting rods, and plenty more. It’s good for 550 bhp when fitted to a car and plumbed in.
When Ford presented the GT concept at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, it was intended as a one-off centennial tribute to the GT40 that conquered Le Mans in the 1960s – but public response was so overwhelmingly enthusiastic that Ford decided to create a limited production run. Image courtesy of Ford.
History Speedrun: The Ford GT Engine
When Ford presented the GT concept at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, it was intended as a one-off centennial tribute to the GT40 that conquered Le Mans in the 1960s – but public response was so overwhelmingly enthusiastic that Ford decided to create a limited production run. Responsibility fell to Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT), who were tasked with developing a road-going supercar that echoed the GT40’s styling, while still meeting modern safety and emissions regulations – not an easy task.
Production of the new GT would involve several facilities in the United States – chassis fabrication began at Mayflower Vehicle Systems in Norwalk, Ohio, where the aluminum spaceframes were welded up. These were then shipped to Saleen Special Vehicles in Troy, Michigan, for paint, suspension, and body assembly.
Final assembly, including installation of the 5.4 liter V8, transaxle, and interior, was completed at Ford’s SVT facility inside the Wixom Assembly Plant in Michigan. The multi-stage process was considerably more complex than Ford would use for a regular production car, but then again, the GT was no regular production car.
The GT used an aluminum spaceframe with bonded floor panels, a modern solution that resulted in excellent rigidity as well as significant weight savings. Suspension was independent at all four corners with unequal-length control arms and coilovers – a layout derived from Ford’s racing programs.
Braking was provided by Brembo four-piston calipers with cross-drilled rotors, while bespoke Goodyear Eagle F1 tires were fitted to 18 inch front and 19 inch rear alloy wheels.
Final assembly, including installation of the 5.4 liter V8, transaxle, and interior, was completed at Ford’s SVT facility inside the Wixom Assembly Plant in Michigan. Image courtesy of Ford.
Power came from a supercharged 5.4 liter DOHC V8 that was based on Ford’s modular engine family but heavily modified with forged internals, dry-sump lubrication, and an Eaton Lysholm twin-screw supercharger.
Output was rated at 550 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 500 lb ft of torque at 3,750 rpm, driving the rear wheels through a Ricardo 6-speed manual transaxle. Performance figures were formidable by the standards of the time (and by modern standards for that matter): 0 – 60 mph took 3.3 seconds and it had a tested top speed of 205 mph.
Built for just two model years, 2005 and 2006, a total of 4,038 examples were produced. It now stands as one of the most admired American supercars of the early early 21st century, and many owners choose to keep them longterm, resulting in strong demand for them in the global collector car market.
The First-Generation Ford GT Engine Shown Here
The engine you see here is a 0 mile first-generation Ford GT engine that was bought as spare unit. Fortunately it was never needed, and so it’s now being offered for sale still on its original shipping pallet.
As noted above, this engine will be good for a reliable 550 bhp and 500 lb ft of torque once it’s installed in a suitable car, still impressive figures today, over 20 years after the car first debuted.
The engine you see here is a 0 mile first-generation Ford GT engine that was bought as spare unit. Fortunately it was never needed, and so it’s now being offered for sale still on its original shipping pallet.
It’s most likely that the engine will be bought by a Ford GT owner who needs a replacement engine (or a spare unit), but we can always hope that it’ll be bought by someone with slightly more creative plans for it – like fitting it to their Craigslist Miata.
The engine is now being offered for sale out of Carlsbad, California at no reserve and it comes with various ancillary components. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.