Customizing cars is the hope that keeps most automotive enthusiasts striving for their dream cars. Most of us can’t afford a 1969 Dodge Charger or a Lamborghini Diablo or whatever, name your dream car. Customizing our cars gives us a shot at being able to one day build the car of our dreams. It is truly a beautiful thing that has resulted in wonderful works of creativity across the automotive landscape. One of the major driving factors in the custom scene is crate engines, and Ford just threw their best in the ring with the Shelby GT500 V8 Predator.

Ford is serious about its crate engines 

According to Motor1, Ford offers a wide variety of crate engines on its performance site right now. The newest to join the lineup is the aptly named “Godzilla,” a 7.3-liter pushrod V8. Supposedly, though, there may be a monster crate engine coming soon that we all know that bears the name of one of those dream cars that most of us can’t have, the supercharged 5.2-liter Shelby GT500. 

The 2020 Shelby GT500 engine 

The “Godzilla” is bigger and has a snappy sounding name, but even all its 7.3-liters can’t hang with the motor from the 2020 Shelby GT500. If the Ford crate holds true, the Shelby GT500 engine will still make a terrifying 760 hp. This number makes it the most powerful crate engine Ford has offered by a good bit. 

Ford Authority claims that the Shelby GT500 engine is plucked out of the production line; instead of going into a Shelby car, it will be dropped in a wood crate. The only difference in the two motors is that the crate will actually be a touch simpler than those installed in the Shelby GT500. Ford Authority didn’t specify how it would be simpler, but details like that and pricing are soon to come. 

You’ve got a Shelby GT500 crate engine, now what?

You can’t just cram a 760-horsepower engine into just any old thing – well, you can; it just may not go so well. TO deal with the massive boost in horsepower, the 2020 Shelby GT500 got a facelift to open up the grille to allow for 50 percent more airflow to the motor than the GT350. Due to the massive amount of power, the Shelby GT500 has a “track pack” option that provides more downforce than any other Mustang in history. 

These examples show that the power difference really matters when it comes to the rest of the car. To safely put this motor in your older Mustang, chances are, you would have to do a lot of upgrades to keep it safely on the road. Aspects to keep in mind when thinking about a crate engine swap, brakes, suspension, wheels, and frame. If one of those areas cannot handle the power, you might find yourself in big trouble, big quick. 

Is there a more powerful crate engine somewhere?

Motor1 points out that there are some other contenders out there for top-dog of the crate engine world. The most powerful crate-engine award goes to the 1,000-hp Hellephant 426 supercharged Hemi by Doge. Now the Hemi is not a production engine, as of now, but the Hellcrate Redeye supercharged Hemi, on the other hand, is. The Hellcrate Redeye tops the Shelby GT500 Predator V8 at a whopping 807 horsepower. 

All of this is to say; if you can’t swing the six figures it might take to pull down a Shelby GT500, you can buy just the motor and an old Fox-body Mustang and do the next best thing.