The internal combustion era may be ending, but thanks to Ford’s Voodoo V8, it will go out screaming.

For a glorious moment, the Ford Mustang GT350 and GT350R came with a unique flat plane crank V8. This configuration, the same as you get in exotics such as Ferraris is capable of ungodly RPMs. That generation of the GT350 was rated for 526 horsepower (at 7,500 rpm) and 429 lb-ft of torque (at 4,750 rpm). Ford debuted the engine in 2015 and ended production in 2020.

So what’s the deal with a flat plane crank engine? The cliffnotes version is that flat plane crank is noisier and vibrates a bit more than a regular V8 at low rpm. But rev it up to 8,000 or 9,000 rpm and this noise and vibration doesn’t get any worse.

If you want to get technical: a regular V8 has a “cross plane” crank shaft which allows the cylinders to fire every 90 degrees of rotation. The “flat plane” crankshaft is lighter and thus can spin faster. It also enables a different firing order which leads to smoother exhaust flow at high speeds. Its long been the preferred configuration for most handbuilt supercar engines, and the latest generation of Chevrolet’s Z06 Corvetter.

In 2020, Ford cancelled its Mustang GT350 and it seemed like the Voodoo had been the single glorious crescendo in the legacy of the V8. And it was over, echoing into eternity.

Then Ford brought it back. For four days.

At 10:45 AM, December 14th, Ford Authority announced that Ford Performance had expanded its crate engine catalog, and was adding the 5.2-liter “Voodoo” V8. This shocked most members of the Ford community, because Ford had never indicated it had leftover Voodoo V8s after the GT350’s cancellation. And no one knew how many of the engines Ford Performance would sell. But there it was: part number FA-557-AA. Here’s what the website said:

Ford Performance has a limited number of GT350R 5.2L Engine assemblies available for sale. These are complete dressed engines with intakes, injectors, throttle bodies and water pumps. (They do not include alternators, A/C compressors, FEAD belt or LH exhaust manifold). 

These engines are no longer being made. Once they’re gone, there will be no more. 

We do NOT offer a control pack to run these engines. 

There is no warranty. 

Yours truly didn’t notice the news until December 18th. I’ll admit, I began imagining how the high-revving, 525 horsepower V8 would sound in my old F-150. But by the time I checked Ford Performance’s website, the engine was no longer available.

I suppose there’s a chance Ford will bring it back again. But my guess is that it had an extremely limited supply leftover from GT350 production. The automaker may have kept them for a future racing application, but by 2024 decided to offload the engines. When it dropped them on Ford Performance, a few enthusiasts may have bought them. But I’ll bet dollars to donuts that some performance shop or another scooped up the bulk of the supply.

Will we see these engines available in future Roush or Icon 4×4 builds? I can only hope so.

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