Ford has announced power ratings for its all-new naturally aspirated V8 that equips the Shelby GT350 Mustang and Shelby GT350R Mustang and chances are you won’t be disappointed.
With 526hp at 7,500 rpm and 429lb-ft (581Nm) of torque at 4,750 rpm, the flat-plane crankshaft V8 is both the most power-dense (102hp per liter) and the most powerful naturally aspirated road-going engine in Ford history. It is also the highest-revving production V8 in the automaker’s history, with the redline beginning at 8,250 rpm.
Ford says the engine also has an “exceptionally wide powerband,” as it produces 90 percent of peak torque from approximately 3,450 rpm through 7,000 rpm and features a “racetrack-friendly” spread of nearly 3,000 rpm between its torque and horsepower peaks.
The all-new 5.2-liter V8 will be paired exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission in both the Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R. Specifically engineered for less mass and high-rpm application in the new Shelby Mustangs, the Tremec TR-3160 six-speed manual features a lightweight, die-cast aluminum case and clutch housing for increased overall powertrain stiffness.
Besides the change in the characteristic sound of an American V8, Ford says the flat-plane crankshaft helps improve cylinder exhaust-pulse separation by allowing a firing order that alternates ignition events between the V8’s two cylinder banks. According to the automaker, this can vastly improve engine breathing and allow the engine to make more power.
If all these numbers don’t mean much to you, just listen to the sound of the new V8 in the video posted below and you will know what to feel about the Shelby GT350 and GT350R Mustangs.
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