This is an original Roush-Yates Ford FR9 V8, its the engine that was developed as a joint project between Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines (RYE) to become the new engine of choice for Ford-powered NASCAR teams from 2009 onwards.
The FR9 was a blank slate redesign over the Windsor based engine it would be replacing. The program was led by Dan Keenan, an engineer from Montana State University, Dave Simon, the powertrain supervisor at Ford Motorsport, and of course, Doug Yates.
This Roush-Yates Ford FR9 V8 is said to have been used by NASCAR teams as a mockup unit for figuring out fitment into engine bays.
The impetus for the new engine was the fact that Toyota and Dodge had been permitted to design all-new engines as part of their entry/re-entry into NASCAR. Chevrolet then followed along with their new R07 V8, meaning Ford needed to develop their own new engine to remain competitive.
The rules called for 4.5 inch bore centers and a maximum bore diameter of 4.185 inches. Keenan, Simon, and Yates developed their new engine around these parameters, they ended up with a V8 capable of over 800 bhp that would go on to win countless NASCAR races across the country.
The coffee table you see here is said to have been built using an original Roush-Yates Ford FR9 V8, specifically it was an engine that had been used as a mock-up by NASCAR teams for working out the fitment into their pre-existing engine bays.
After this the engine was turned into a coffee table, it’s had two legs fitted up front which appear to be repurposed valves – though they may just be legs that have been designed to look like this. The rear of the engine sits directly on the bell housing, offering a firm footing.
It’s fitted with a tempered glass tabletop that measures in at 42″ long by 32″ wide, and it has a hole in the center that allows the intake manifold to rise up above the surface.
The table has a rectangular tempered glass tabletop that measures in at 42″ long by 32″ wide with a central cutout section where the intake manifold rises out above the tabletop. Inside, the engine is fitted with a battery-powered LED lighting system offering 12 colors with a remote control, though of course if you’re not into the look of under lighting you can just leave it off.
The coffee table engine is now being sold on Bring a Trailer out of Atascadero, California 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.
