Unusual Mercedes-Benz E300 Build Features a Ford 5.2L Voodoo V8 Swap

This Mercedes-Benz E300 with a Ford 5.2L Voodoo V8 swap was sitting around unfinished for years, but now, it’s looking and running good.

The S550-generation Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 came along and shocked the world for a few reasons, but perhaps none more prominent than the fact that it arrived packing a flat-plane crank powerplant – the 5.2-liter Voodoo V8. This type of engine has largely been relegated to European exotics over the years, meaning that there was a ton of excitement surrounding the Voodoo V8 when it launched. Thus, perhaps it isn’t terribly surprising to learn that somebody decided to stuff that same engine in something you would never expect to see it in – a Mercedes-Benz E300.

In this video from the YouTube channel throtl, we get a close-up look at this interesting project, which has been sitting around, collecting dust for a long time at this point. Another YouTube channel – Team Boosted – apparently put this thing together for the most part, but then, it sat around for roughly three years before it was recently revived and finished – in a way. The car itself is pretty much a hot mess with holes, a mismatched body kit, and all kinds of damage, but the team set out to get it running and driving in just five days.

What makes this project seem a bit more reasonable is the fact that it’s reportedly packing a crate engine version of the Voodoo V8, which was only sold for a limited period of time – it isn’t just some unknown entity pulled from a GT350. Regardless, the wiring work that’s been done thus far is what one might describe as a hot mess, though there are some good parts present – such as a Holley EFI, an aftermarket intake, and a new ECU.

Luckily, the Holley setup makes this process a lot easier and closer to a plug-and-play type of job, and eliminated a lot of unnecessary wiring at the same time. As such, it really didn’t take too much work to get the Voodoo V8 up and running, perhaps even less effort than cleaning the junk out of the car itself. After that, it’s all about cosmetic work, as the team fills the holes in the bodywork and covers it in a vinyl wrap – resulting in what is a truly cool project that was well worth finishing, we’d say.

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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.