Ford Unveils 1,200-HP Megazilla 2.0 Crate V8 for Custom Builders

Ford Megazilla 2.0 crate engine, Digi Mart USA News: A crate engine is a complete internal combustion powerplant shipped from a manufacturer in a wooden crate, ready to be installed in a vehicle’s engine bay. Car builders and hot-rodders have long used these factory-built units to convert ordinary vehicles into high-performance machines without sourcing and rebuilding salvaged engines.

According to a publisher report from New Atlas, Ford has revealed what it claims is the most powerful crate engine ever created by a mainstream manufacturer. The announcement was made at this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas, where Ford Racing marked its 125th anniversary by installing the engine in a one-off concept called the Frostwarden Bronco, built with Kincer Chassis.

The engine, called the Megazilla 2.0, has a 7.3-liter (445-cubic-inch) displacement. The source states that on race fuel it produces more than 1,200 horsepower and over 1,000 lb.ft (1,356 Nm) of peak torque.

It is derived from the Megazilla 1.0, a naturally aspirated engine originally developed from Ford’s cast-iron pushrod V8 for the Super Duty truck line, which the source credits with 612 horsepower and 670 lb.ft (908 Nm) of torque on premium pump gas.

To reach the higher output, the source says Ford Racing Parts engineers redesigned the engine. The block includes cooling cuts between the cylinder bores, and the bottom end uses six-bolt main caps.

The engine also features high-strength racing head studs, forged pistons, a custom camshaft profile and a Generation-6 3.0-liter twin-screw supercharger with high-capacity fuel injectors.

The publisher notes that the Megazilla 2.0 is positioned against Dodge’s aluminum-block Hellephant V8, which the source describes as producing 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb.ft (1,288 Nm) out of the box. Ford has not yet announced pricing; the source says it will be revealed closer to launch and expects the 2.0 to debut above US$35,000, though that is an expectation rather than a confirmed figure.

The source suggests the engine could be significant for drag racers, resto-mod shops and extreme off-road builders. This information has not been independently verified.