This is a first-generation Ford GT V8 engine, I was bought new by the owner and kept as a spare for his Ford GT, though thankfully he never needed it and it remains now in unused, 0 mile condition.
The Ford GT was released in 2004 but it was first seen by the world in concept car form at the 2002 North American International Auto Show where is garnered rave reviews. The design of the GT was aesthetically based on the Ford GT40 from the 1960s though of course there are no interchangeable parts.
Above Video: This is the original Top Gear review of the then-new Ford GT by Jeremy Clarkson, who would later buy one for his own personal use.
The Ford GT40 was developed in England in the mid-1960s under Eric Broadley of Lola Cars, it would be based on the Lola Mk6. Development and production was later moved to the United States, the GT40 would go on to dominate the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the race outright in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969.
The “new” Ford GT has so far been produced over two generations, 2004 to 2006 and then 2016 to the current day. Both generations have been raced extensively, and the Ford GT is now once again a common sight at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as many other endurance races around the world.
The engine used in the first generation Ford GT was a 5.4 liter double overhead cam V8 with an aluminum alloy block and heads.
Inside the engine you’ll find a dry sump oiling system, four valves per cylinder, a forged steel crankshaft, forged aluminum pistons, forged H-beam connecting rods, twin fuel injectors per cylinder, all topped off with an Eaton 2300 Lysholm screw-type supercharger.
This was the cover of the original brochure for the Ford GT, the car was a halo vehicle for the entire company and it remains much in demand with enthusiasts and collectors today.
Power was rated at 550 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 500 lb ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. The Ford GT was reported to have a 0 – 60 mph (97 km/h) time of 3.3 seconds, a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h), and a quarter mile time of 11.8 seconds.
As mentioned in the introduction, this engine was purchased new as a spare and was never used, it’s now being offered for sale out of Sun Valley, California on Bring a Trailer and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben 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.
