Interesting, in some ways a step forward (wider bore centers), in others, holding steady (OHC, deep block), while in other ways, a step back (2V heads base, iron block). Basically looks like a somewhat conservative derivative of the current Mod motors, all very nice and needed but nothing to knock your socks off.

Valve covers still look like poo, but these are preproduction, so who knows. 4V heads will, apparently, be available on hi-po versions and that, with the wider bores (less valve shrouding) out to really wake the thing up, especially in the larger (up to 7 liter?) sizes.

On a philosophical note, will the Boss engine, and Ford's excrutiatingly long devlopment process -- they should have had this out five years ago, be a day late and a dollar short? The building storm of stricter CAFE, $3+ gas, emissions concerns and faltering economy might really make a big, heavy, powerful motor a difficult sell. Perhaps they'll develop AL block versions, at least for non-truck apps and things like variable displacement and GDI will help the emissions and economy side of things. But might this be like the 429 engine of the early '70's -- great (and big) motor at the wrong time?

 

Late? Yes. Very Late? No.

There will always be a market for trucks with big engines. No matter what the price of gas is. As for passenger cars, I doubt will see the Boss motor in anything less than a Shelby GT500.

 

Soooooooooo, will this be ready in time for the 2010 Mustang, or will current GT engine be carried over?

I'm also assuming the "Twin Force" 3.5 litre V6 will debut in the Mustang in 2010. Surely that'll force Ford to introduce the new V8 or the V6 will end up being the more powerful engine!

 

Given Ford's glacial and tortuous development processes, I wouldn't bet your pay check on it, but perhaps the LS2 Camaro and SRT Hemi Challenger will shame them into it. Seems like the model layouts for the Camaro and Challenger, and perhaps the Mustang equivalents, would likely be:

BASE:

• Camaro: 3.6L V6 @ ~260hp (Assuming DOHC version, might go OHC of SOHC for bargain-basement pricing)
• Challenger: 3.5L V6 @ ~250hp (current hp ratings, Maybe more?)
• Mustang: 3.5L V6 @ ~265hp (or 3.7 approaching 300hp?)

MID RANGE:

• Camaro SS: 5.3L V8 @ 325hp (might be up to 350)
• Challenger RT: 5.7L V8 @ 350hp (maybe around 375hp by 2010)
• Mustang GT: 4.6L V8 @ 325hp (might be up to 350hp)

TOP DOG:

• Camaro Z28: 6.2L V8 @ 420hp (current Vette motor essentially)
• Challenger SRT-8: 6.1L V8 @ 425hp (might be around 450hp by 2010)
• Mustang Mach I or Boss 370 or : 6.2L V8 @ 400+hp (new Boss motor, at least 400hp, probably a little more)

UBER DOG:

• Camaro ZO6: 7.0L V8 @ 500hp (Z06 motor or successor, or go nuclear with a 600hp ZR1 motor?)
• Challenger: 7.0L V8 @ 500hp (rumored Hemi variant)
• Mustang GT500/Boss 429: SC 5.4L V8 @ 500hp (GT500 carryover, or a 7.0L 4V Boss variant?)

A few wild cards:

• Where would a TwinForce motor fit in here?
  • Supplant the 4.6?
  • Handling-oriented SE along the lines of the SVO or Boss 302 to go against the imports?

• Ford, given their prolonged development cycles, might just have the GT500 and its 5.4 cover the Top Dog and Uber Dog classes for a year or two, with a TT3.7 as an interesting offshoot from the linear hierarchy.

• CAFE, EPA and recession woes may scramble this whole thing, ala the early '70's. Far more emphasis on efficiency and overall vehicle performance (handling, braking) than ever bigger, heavier, thirstier blunderbusses. No Mustang IIs or their fey equivalents, but the hyper power gas-swilling dreadnoughts may be out.

 

You're forgetting the 5.0 non-boss V8 being developed.

 

Rhumb, not a big deal, but you have SS and Z28 reveresed. Or am I wrong. Previous top dogs for the camaro team have been super sports haven't they??

Also,

I thought Chrysler said they weren't going to bring a V6 varient of the Challenger to the table. A move I thought was absurd.

I may be mistaken tho.

 

A possibility I imagine, but given all that's going on, I have my doubts such a thing would see daylight because:

• Would waste precious development resources on a motor (family) on its way out.
• Would overlap the upcoming TwinForce motor in power, yet get worse mileage and emissions.
• Well known technical/production issues related to making a Mod motor 5.0.

But some reasons they still might:

• 5.0 / 302 has name cache among Stang fanatics.
• Have 5.0 supplant 4.6 across vehicle line rather than as expensive Stang-only boutique motor.
• Send Mod motor family out with a flourish rather than a fizzle, a 4V 400+hp 5.0 screamer would be a stunner.
• Stang fanatics might not cuddle up to any V6 no matter how good.

 

Chevy's sort of mixed up the SS and Z28 in the pecking order over time. In the sixties, the SS's were sort of the big motored drag race models, equivalent to the Mach I while the Z28s were more the road racers akin the the Boss 302/351. In the '90's, the SS became sort of the uber Z28 model. So who knows what naming scheme they might reflect with the retro Camaro.

As for the Challenger, original rumors had a V8 only lineup, which will be true initially, but that a V6 model will come online in a year or so after introduction.

 

6.2 Mod motor in my '99....Sounds good to me!!

 

Sounds great!! Cant wait to see the finished product!!

 

Based on some things I have heard recently I believe we will see a Mod 5.0 ~ 400hp and a blown Mod ~ 450 hp in an SE...

 

Where did you read that article?
Ok wait until a F-150 ends up in a junk yard and cherry pick the engine -
slap it in your mustang (after some heavy mods) and you'll be the first to
have a boss engine before the 2010 Mustangs appear. What a concept !!

 

interesting but not terrible exciting... i dunno.. i'd like to see power output.

 

The 5.0 is coming....
and it is LOOSELY based on the 4.6 mod, its not a 5.0 mod...

Also, I'd bet your more likely to see a 5.0 TwinForce in the Mustang than a 6.2L Boss

I guess you could see a BOSS in a future GT500 type car...

but I'd go with the 5.0 GT, 5.0TF SE or GT500 type car myself

 

Just seems like a lot of extra development resources (time and money), which Ford has precious little of, to either develop an essentially new and unigue engine for a Stang SE, especially when they're working hard to bring their new V6 engine family to market, including the tech-rich TwinForce/EcoForce, and the long-in-gestation Boss family motor.

While it would be cool, way cool for a TF 5.0, it just seems improbably given Ford's current dire straights. But more likely, IMHO, would be too either dust off the 4V Mach I 4.6 and tweak it up a lot, or dust off the SC 4.6 and do the same -- the bulk of the development work and tooling have already been done on these engines and either operate in the 400hp power gap in the Stang lineup.

 

Add 2 more cylinders to the 3.7 V6 and what do you know... you get a 5.0L V8. Hmm....

 

This is from Blue II regarding the 5.0 (posted today on BON):

Source:

http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums...howtopic=20271

 

I believe that would be a 60 degree V8...not the optimal configuration.

 

Actually, in the 60's the SS was just a trim package, available with any emgine/trans package offered. American Musclecar has a whole show devoted to the SS line, I just happened to catch it a couple weeks ago.