Ever since Ford unleashed the beefy 7.3 liter “Godzilla” V8 into the Super Duty lineup, countless theories, rumors, and even fantasies pointed to perhaps a marriage between the monstrous iron block, and the Ford Mustang. However, the company has single handedly squashed those hopes, and confirmed that no such transplant is in the works for the raging stallion.
While Ford’s latest denial helps seal the record on this idea for good, the company also had a hand in creating the rumor mill in the first place, when several representatives early on claimed that the engine could fit in the F-150 and the Mustang, but it didn’t make sense to use it in both models. This more direct reply comes from an alleged interview that the folks at Muscle Cars & Trucks had with Pat Hertrich the chief engineering supervisor for the 7.3 liter engine. With someone this tightly woven into the program getting himself involved in silencing the watercooler, chances are good that Hertrich’s statement has a high degree of validity.
A key reason why the rumor mill initially exploded on this subject, is because the 7.3 liter is a retro style pushrod V8, which was once a must have option in vintage muscle cars. It’s no slouch either, with the engine producing 430 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque which is just a tick below the 460 horsepower seen in the smaller 5.0 liter Coyote V8. However, being an iron block based unit, the engine is also very heavy, and in an age where the Mustang is focused on shedding weight, having a massive amount of its curb weight in the front end would completely mess up the handling dynamics, and force engineers to make costly revisions to the Mustang’s platform to help pull it off.
Additional revisions would’ve had to be done to the engine itself to try and make more power be available in the higher reaches of the rev band versus the current state of affairs where the engine makes the bulk of its torque down low. This’s great for towing boats and trailers, but not so much when your trying to get optimal time blasting down the quarter mile at your local drag strip.
But while the current generation Mustang is not getting this engine anytime soon, Mustang loyalists can take solace in knowing that Godzilla is available as a crate engine. That means it can find a home in older Mustangs, especially those from the 1970s that prefer to slowly cruise, and are not afraid to flaunt their size.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.