The Most Powerful Ford Engines of All Time

Looking back at Ford’s illustrious history, they have produced quite a few ultra powerful motors. Of them, the 5.2 Predator supercharged V8, 3.5 EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, 6.7 PowerStroke turbo-diesel V8, and 5.0 Coyote V8, are some of the most powerful. These are some of the highest output engines ever to reach the American market from any manufacturer. They have powered some iconic Fords and Shelbys over the years, including the Shelby GT500, Ford GT, various Ford Mustangs, and Ford Super Duty trucks. Previously, we looked at the best Ford engines in history. Now, let’s look at the 4 most powerful Ford engines in history, too. 

Make sure to check out our other Ford content, including our Best F150 Engines Guide, Ford 4.6 Supercharger Upgrade Guide, Ford Barra Engine Guide, Fastest Ford Cars of All Time Article, and our 5.2 Voodoo Engine Guide.

Ford’s Performance History

For decades, Ford has been at the top of the performance game for American cars. Their era of performance began in the 1950s with big-block V8s. By the late-1960s, they were one of the premier builders of American muscle cars. Utilizing massive engines with well over 400 cubic inches in displacement, Ford cars like the Fairlane and Torino, Ford Mustang, and Ford Thunderbird, roared down the road with gobs of horsepower and torque. 

Yet, for as powerful as those engines were, they can’t hold a candle to the marvels of modern engineering. Back in the 1960s–1970s, Ford’s Cobra Jet and Boss V8s were some of the most powerful production motors available. However, they maxed out at 375 horsepower — and that’s gross not net horsepower, which is considerably higher. Today, 375 horsepower gross is pretty much entry-level for a performance machine.

The motors we’re looking at from Ford are much, much more powerful: the 5.2 Predator supercharged V8, 3.5 EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, 6.7 PowerStroke turbo-diesel V8, and 5.0 Coyote V8. This isn’t a list of all of the most powerful engines, as that would basically be a compendium of Shelbys. Instead, it represents the most powerful Shelby production engine, non-Shelby production engine, truck engine, and Mustang engine in Ford history. Let’s get started. 

The Most Powerful Ford Engines of All Time

The 5.2 Predator V8, 760 Horsepower

First up on our list of the most powerful Ford engines is the 5.2 Predator V8. From 2020-2022, Ford put it inside the Mustang Shelby GT500. A supercharged 5.2 liter powerplant, the Predator outputs an incredible 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque. This is the most powerful Ford Shelby engine ever built by a decent margin, and it is incredible. The supercharger is a 2.65 liter Eaton TVS R2650 roots-style blower that builds up to 12 PSI of boost. It also has an absolutely screaming 7,500 rpm redline with a forged-steel cross-plane style crankshaft. 

Ford and Shelby based the 5.2 Predator on the smaller 5.0 Coyote V8 inside the standard Mustang. They bored and stroked the motor to 94-mm x 93-mm, dropped the compression to 9.5:1 to accommodate the boost, and made the block out of high-strength aluminum with plasma transfer wire arc spray for the cylinders. The engine uses forged-steel connecting rods, Grafal coated forged aluminum pistons, a 92-mm throttle body. It weighs just 536 pounds as a crate engine.

In addition to the Shelby GT500, the engine also appears in the F-150 Raptor R. There, it outputs 700 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque. There is even a 900+ horsepower version inside the limited edition GT500KR. Inside the Shelby GT500, the 5.2 Predator powers it to a 3.4 second zero to 60 mph time and a blistering 11.3 second ¼ mile @ 132 mph. Pretty incredible for a small-block V8. 

Ford’s 3.5 EcoBoost V6, 660 Horsepower

Next up on our list of the most powerful Ford engines is the 3.5 EcoBoost V6. Ford put this engine inside the 2017–2022 Ford GT. Don’t let the small displacement fool you. When paired with a set of massive twin-turbochargers, Ford managed to crank an astonishing 660 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque out of the little engine that could. In the Ford GT, that equates to a lightning fast zero to 60 mph of just 3.0 seconds, and a ¼ mile time of 10.8 seconds @ 134 mph. Both of those are faster than the 760 horsepower Shelby GT500, showing what a machine the GT really is. 

Like other 3.5 EcoBoost twin-turbo engines, the one inside the Ford GT has a 60° V6 configuration. It is a quad-cam dual overhead camshaft (DOHC) engine with an aluminum engine block and cylinder heads. Obviously, all of this is strengthened and reinforced on the GT blocks. The valve train also uses variable camshaft timing on both the intake and exhaust valves, which helps to aid spool and top-end power. Both turbos also have individual intercoolers for increased cooling on the GT.

Ford has used other less powerful versions of the 3.5 EcoBoost inside a number of vehicles. These include the Ford F-150 and F-150 Raptor, Ford Expedition, Ford Taurus SHO, and several others. Most of these versions make 350-450 horsepower, which is a step down from the GT but still very impressive. 

The 6.7 PowerStroke V8, 1,200 lb-ft of torque

Third on our list of the most powerful Ford engines is our first exclusive truck engine, the 6.7 PowerStroke turbo-diesel V8. Ford introduced the 6.7 PowerStroke in 2011, and it has continued to power their Super Duty heavy truck lineup. In its most powerful form, the high-output version of the 6.7 PowerStroke makes 500 horsepower and a jaw-dropping 1,200 lb-ft of torque. Those are both best in class for performance, and they are probably the most powerful production motors ever released for the non-commercial truck industry. 

Ford has given the engine several revisions over the years. For the 2023+ versions, compression sits at 15.2:1, the engine block and cylinder heads are compacted graphite iron (CGI), the crankshaft is nodular iron, and the connecting rods are forged-steel with cast-aluminum pistons that have oil squirting jets. The engine has used several turbos, including a Garrett SST3266V, Garrett GT3788V, Garrett AVNT3276V, and a Garrett GT3582V. The original 3266V was a SST or single-sequential turbo. Beginning in 2015, Ford phased these out for the more reliable VGT or variable geometry turbos. All versions used a water-to-air intercooler for the best cooling. 

On the street, the 6.7 PowerStroke is capable of towing as much as 40,000 pounds with a gooseneck trailer. Not only does it provide absolutely gargantuan performance, but it also has solid reliability and easily cracks 200,000-250,000 miles for most drivers without major problems. It’s the only pure truck engine on our list, but it is very deserving. 

The 5.0 Coyote V8, 500 horsepower

To round out our list of the most powerful Ford engines, we’re looking at the 5.0 Coyote V8. Inside the 2024+ Ford Mustang Dark Horse, the 5.0 Coyote puts down an incredible 500 horsepower and 418 lb-ft of torque. Ford first brought the engine out for the 2011 model year, and the Dark Horse variant is by far the most powerful. 

The standard 5.0 Coyote uses an aluminum engine block and cylinder heads, has a DOHC valve train with 32-valves, uses port and direct fuel injection, and is naturally aspirated. Upgrades for the 500 horsepower Dark Horse version include a new crankshaft, new forged pistons and connecting rods (the rods are from the 5.2 Predator V8), and a 7,500 rpm redline. It utilizes dual throttle bodies for the most air intake, and is an absolute beast. 

Inside the Dark Horse, the 5.0 Coyote can go as fast as a 3.7 zero to 60 mph time. It also does a 12.0 second ¼ mile @ 118 mph. That’s dangerously close to the supercharged 5.2 Predator V8 inside the Shelby GT500, making the smaller Coyote even more impressive. If this is the future of the Mustang then sign us up, because it appears there might not be a lot in the way of gas-powered competition. 

Most Powerful Ford Engines Summary

Ford has produced a number of incredibly powerful engines over the years, including the 5.2 Predator supercharged V8, 3.5 EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, 6.7 PowerStroke turbo-diesel V8, and 5.0 Coyote V8. These engines are all capable of more than 500 horsepower, and they are some of the best examples of Ford engineering in history. Only one of them is naturally aspirated, the 5.0 Coyote, but the rest use lots of forced induction to reach astronomical levels of performance. 

The most powerful Ford Shelby engine of all-time is the 5.2 Predator. It sits at 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque thanks to its 2.65 liter Eaton TVS R2650 roots-style supercharger. For the most powerful Ford production engine ever, we have the smaller 3.5 EcoBoost twin-turbo V6. These make 660 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque inside the Ford GT, which is almost unbelievable for the displacement. 

Next is the most powerful Ford truck engine ever, the 6.7 PowerStroke turbo-diesel V8. It makes 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. For the most powerful Ford Mustang engine, the only choice is the 500 horsepower 5.0 Coyote Dark Horse version. The PowerStroke and Coyote are the oldest of the bunch, having been introduced over a decade ago. However, they are still capable of outsized performance, and hopefully that will continue for many years. 

Most Powerful Ford Engines FAQ