2011 Ford Mustang GT - Detroit Auto Show

The legend is back. Visitors to the Detroit Auto Show will be among the first to witness the return of the iconic 5.0-liter V-8 engine to the Ford Mustang.

The original 5.0 (pronounced "Five-Oh!") was first introduced way back in 1968. It was known then as the "Windsor 302" – Windsor because most of the engines were made in Ford's Windsor, Ontario plant in Canada – and 302 for the engine's displacement in cubic inches.

Because 302 cubic inches is equal to about 4.9 liters, Ford rounded-up to a marketing-friendly "5.0" when engine sizes switched to metric units. The name definitely caught the imagination of the car-buying public. In the '80s Mustangs with 5.0 badges were hugely popular both with street racers and the local lawmen that chased after them. It was even immortalized in Vanilla Ice's song "Ice Ice Baby."  

After a 33 year production run, the 5.0 was finally put out to pasture in 2001 when the last of Ford's vehicles were switched to the more modern 4.6-liter "Modular" V-8 engine (Mustangs got the 4.6 starting in 1996). The Modular name meant it was easier for Ford to adapt the engine to fit a variety of vehicles, but the Mustang faithful complained that early versions lacked power (the '95 5.0 Mustang weighed less and made more horsepower and torque than the '96 4.6 – 225 hp/300 ft-lbs vs. 215/290). Despite a big horsepower bump for '99, the 4.6 never really caught on like the old 5.0.

Well Robert Van Winkle and the rest of the Mustang fervent can finally rejoice, because the 5.0 is back. Ford officially announced the return of the 5.0 last month, and they had several examples on hand in Detroit.

Make no mistake – it's not your father's 5.0. This is a brand new V-8 engine with four-valve Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) that churns out an awesome 412 horsepower and 390 ft-lbs of torque in the 2011 Mustang GT. That's a jump of more than 100 horsepower and 70 ft-lbs of torque over the 2010 model. It's still a bit less than the Chevrolet Camaro SS or Dodge Challenger SRT8, but the Mustang weighs less than either so performance should be comparable. One area where Ford does expect to beat them is fuel economy – in fact the new engine is more efficient than the outgoing one even with all that extra power.

Derrick Kuzak, Group Vice President of Global Product Development, said, "It's a thoroughly modern engine for the times, delivering the performance and fun-to-drive factor that enthusiasts want, while improving fuel economy."

With the return of the 5.0 Ford not only makes the Mustang GT competitive again, it also revives a legend. In the immortal words of Vanilla Ice:

Rollin' in my 5.0 
With my rag top down so my hair can blow 
Girlies on standby, waving just to say hi 
Did you stop? No – I just drove by...

 

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About the Author
Scott Markle is an experienced automotive enthusiast and industry observer who is passionate about creating compelling content for car shoppers. He has fifteen years of experience building top-tier websites for the automotive industry and beyond, and was part of the team that launched AutoTrader.com.