Published on August 1st, 2023 | by Sounder Rajen

Ford Plans To Keep The “Coyote” V8 In The Mustang For As Long As Possible

It looks like American Muscle is not dead yet Thanks to the iconic Ford Mustang

With electrification slowly ending the production of combustion engines in America, thus, ending the legacy of American Muscle, we had to kiss the iconic Hemi goodbye as the Dodge “last call” models (including the Challenger Demon 170) were the last models to sport the hemi before the brand’s electric Banshee but Ford different plans.

Yes, Ford is also producing electric vehicles (EVs) but unlike Dodge completely scrapping its iconic Hemi V8 in favour of the all-electric Banshee (and possibly also Chevrolet killing the LS V8 with the death of the Camaro), Ford wants to keep its Coyote V8 inside the Mustang coupe “for as long as possible.” Let’s dive in.

As a fan of American Muscle and the Ford Mustang, this is great news and moreover, the V8 is synonymous with the Mustang so the company won’t be replacing it for batteries and an electric motor anytime soon. Ford is committed to offering an internal combustion engine (ICE) Mustang and has no plans to shelf the engine just yet.

Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsport, told Carsales.com.au that the company would build the V8 engine for “as long as we can,” adding that the brand hasn’t selected a retirement date for the eight-cylinder engine just yet. Finally a rare win for the old school engine!

On top of that, he Ford Mustang’s global brand manager, Jim Owens, also echoed a similar sentiment as Rushbrook to Drive.com.au when he said the automaker is still investing in V8 engines for future models even as the automaker ramps up battery-electric vehicle production at the same time.

However, government regulations may force Ford to abandon the V8 soon as tightening emissions standards force automakers to downsize engines. Ford did not reveal how it plans to keep the V8 alive, but the Mustang chief vehicle engineer, Tim Smith, simply said the brand is “always testing everything.”

What does this mean exactly? Hey, your guess is as good as mine, but as for now, all I can say is “Hell yeah, brother! The Ford Mustang with its Coyote V8 lives to howl another day!” Obviously, one should read that with a Southern American accent, because that is how I read it in my head while typing this out. Don’t ask why.

One possible way Ford could keep the Coyote V8 in the Mustang longer is through the use of synthetic fuels. This is certainly very possible as we have seen with Porsche, Stellantis, and other brands testing e-fuel as well as Bentley attending this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed with a fleet of vehicles using biofuel.

Will it work for long? Who knows, all I know is, in a world where every other manufacturer is simply accepting electrification without putting up a fight, I am glad, Ford, Porsche and some others still care about us enthusiasts. This is yet another reason why I love the Ford Mustang and why I think many enthusiasts do too.