No Godzilla Engine Option for the Ford Mustang and That’s Totally OK
Ford’s 7.3-Liter Godzilla engine was designed specifically for truck duty. It seems destined to stay in one.
Lucky for us there is no shortage of wonderful engines in the current Mustang lineup. At the top of the mountain is the Predator-V8 in the current generation GT500. However, even the EcoBoost Mustang puts out about as much power as the V8-powered GT from a decade ago. In between are a couple other sweetheart V8 motors to propel your favorite pony car. Even though we may seem to be spoiled for choice, there is another intriguing option. The 7.3-Liter Godzilla engine.
The Godzilla engine is currently is an option in the super duty trucks will fit in the Mustang. It is an old school pushrod, iron block V8. The engine easily cranks out 430 HP and 475 lb-ft of torque. However, that is only the beginning. Without even adding forced induction, it is possible to nearly double the stock output. If you add forced induction, you could push into 4-digit hp territory. Sounds like it could be potentially a fun engine to select as you spec out your new Mustang. The problem is that Ford will not allow it.
Pat Hertrich, the engineering supervisor on the Godzilla project, told Muscle Cars and Trucks recently. “I’m not aware of any plans for (Mustang). This is a truck engine for commercial use.” Hertrich continued: “If you look on YouTube you can see this engine put into people’s personal vehicles. As an engine person, to me, that’s very exciting. But that’s not the business reason for us having the engine. It’s not the design intent. It just happens to lend itself well to things like that.”
That may be a bit disappointing, but understandable. This is a truck engine after all and as such it is designed to work. This is a heavy iron block engine that is designed to haul and tow, and it is built to handle those tasks perfectly. It will likely provide super duty owners with many years of trouble-free labor. Yes, it could simply be dropped into a Mustang, but it is going to require modifications to make it worthwhile. With the other great engine choices available it just is not worth the effort for Ford.
That doesn’t mean it is not worth the effort for tuners and racers. The 7.3-Liter Godzilla is available right now as a crate engine from Ford. For $8,150 you can have one of these bad boys to drop in perhaps a Fox-body Mustang. From there the sky is the limit. You could build one hell of a drag car with a 580-pound Godzilla sitting up front. Even though we have several great Mustang engine choices from the factory, one more can’t hurt.
Let us know what you would do with a Godzilla crate engine. Would you choose it over say the Coyote? Why? If you did get the 7.3-Liter, what would you drop it in and why? Are you disappointed that this is not a factory option? We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. Share with us over at The Mustang Source forums.
Photos: Ford
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