Ford Will Sell Shelby GT500’s 5.2-Liter Predator V8 in Crate Engine Form

Builders rejoice: Ford will soon sell the Shelby GT500’s mighty 5.2-liter Predator V8 in crate form for your project.

Crate engines are a hot rodder’s dream, offering a complete, drop-in, brand new powerplant to fit in older vehicles. It’s a big shortcut to the old fashioned method of finding a used engine and going through the hassle of rebuilding/building it. And now, it appears that Ford is going to sell us one of the coolest crate motors in history, too – the 5.2-liter Predator V8 from the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.

The news comes to us from Ford Authority, which spoke with Mike Goodwin, Ford Performance Product Manager of engines, drivetrain, and calibrations at the SEMA360 show. “We’re in early control pack development right now to be able to run the engine,” Goodwin said. “It’s a little simpler setup because it’s not full DI (direct injection) like the Gen 3 Coyote is.”

Goodwin didn’t provide any other additional details, including the crate motor’s output, price, or potential launch date. But in the Shelby GT500, the supercharged 5.2-liter Predator V8 produces 760 horsepower and 625 pound-feet of torque. If those numbers carry over to the crate engine, it would instantly make it the most powerful offering in Ford Performance’s current lineup.

Currently, Ford offers a variety of engines in crate form, including the venerable 5.0-liter Coyote V8, the new 7.3-liter Godzilla V8, a series of pushrod 302 and 351-based offerings, a couple of 460-based 572 cubic-inch mills, and the 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four.

It’s unclear what sort of transmissions might bolt up to the Predator, which utilizes a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in the latest GT500. That transmission is available as a replacement part but it isn’t currently in Ford Performance’s catalog. VMP ‘s “Track Attack” test mule runs a Predator with a manual behind it, so we know that’s a possibility.

This is undoubtedly exciting news for Blue Oval fans, especially those that have dreamed of swapping a 5.2-liter Predator V8 in anything from vintage Mustangs to Crown Victorias. We doubt the crate Predator will be cheap by any measure of the imagination, but it’ll certainly expand the engine’s access outside of having to find a wrecked donor vehicle, at least. So now, we’re just dreaming of all the different cool, older vehicles we can install one of these bad boys in when it becomes available.

Photos: Ford Motor Company

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.