10 Best Cars Powered By Ford’s Coyote V8

The Ford Modular V8 first appeared in 1990 to replace the Ford Small Block, and it’s powered millions of Fords and Lincolns over the years – including American icons such as the Ford Mustang and Crown Victoria, as well as the Lincoln Town Car. A redevelopment of the Ford Modular V8 resulted in the 2011 all-aluminum naturally aspirated Coyote 5.0L V8 – named for the 1973-1978 Ford Coyote Indy car raced by A.J. Foyt. This engine has gone through various evolutions, and is still churned out by the thousands by Ford’s Windsor plant in Ontario.

The Coyote spawned the Voodoo, Predator, and Carnivore versions that develop as much as 815 hp, but for the purposes of this article, we’re looking at a few significant vehicles that used the 5.0L Coyote. You might be surprised to learn that this excellent power plant is found under the hoods of some very surprising cars, and not all of them Fords. You may not know that it also came in supercharged variants. Loved for its charisma, versatility, and durability, the Coyote is flying the flag for the American V8, just as some rivals are dropping V8s in favor of turbocharged six-cylinder engines.

This article covers only cars using the 5.0L Coyote V8 from its inception in 2011 until the present day in its Gen 4 iteration.

10 S-197 II Ford Mustang GT

Years: 2011-2013

This car is significant because it marks a major update of the fifth-gen Ford Mustang done for MY2010 and the first use of the Coyote V8 for MY2011. The Mk 5 Mustang would become the last one using a live rear axle before the fully independently sprung S550 replaced it for the 2015 model year. With the same general dimensions, bore spacing, and transmission bolt pattern as the 4.6L Modular V8, it slotted right into the Mustang without a hitch.

9 S650 Ford Mustang GT

Years: 2024-present

The S650 Mustang is a landmark car, because it shows Ford’s commitment to the stick-shift muscle car at a time when the gas-powered Dodges and Chevys have all been discontinued. It also marks the fourth generation of the Coyote 5.0L V8, now massaged to 480 hp in stock form and a little more with the Active Performance Exhaust. The Gen 4 sports 4-into-1 exhaust manifolds and larger throttle bodies. The six-speed manual is slower than the ten-speed auto, but enthusiasts will prefer it.

8 TVR Griffith

Years: 2024

After many promises, we are yet to see a new TVR; the new Griffith was supposed to launch as a 2022 model, but is now expected as a 2024 model. It has a Cosworth-tuned version of the 5.0L Coyote V8 under the hood with up to 500 hp, according to the latest indications. It comes only with a Tremec Magnum XL six-speed stick shift.

7 S650 Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Years: 2024-present

The 2024 Mustang Dark Horse is the first with a naturally aspirated Coyote V8 tuned to 500 hp, and it comes with a six-speed Tremec manual transmission with no-lift shifting or a ten-speed auto. It’s the spiritual successor to the previous-generation Mach 1 and the first Mustang Performance Series model since 2003. It features a K-brace, Brembo brakes, and MagneRide dampers.

6 S550 Ford Mustang Bullitt and Mach 1

Years: 2019-2023

The Coyote V8 received major upgrades for MY2018, with a slightly larger capacity (but still remaining 5.0L), new plasma transferred wire-arc cylinder sleeves instead of the old iron inserts, and direct injection to supplement the manifold injectors. Regular GTs had 460 hp, but for the 2019 Bullitt model (to commemorate 50 years since the Bullitt movie), Ford made changes to the engine to boost power to 480 hp. This engine would again be used for the 2021-2023 Mustang Mach I, though the last two model years lost 10 hp and 10 lb-ft.

5 Boss 302 Mustang (Road Runner Coyote)

Years: 2013

Soon after its introduction, the naturally aspirated Coyote was offered in a high-performance Road Runner spec in the Boss 302 Mustang, with special heads and camshafts, adding 32 hp to the regular engine, at the expense of only 10 lb-ft of torque. The engine was tested up to 8,400 rpm, but the redline for the road car was set at 7,500 rpm.

4 Australian Ford Falcon FG (Supercharged)

Years: 2011-2016

As the 5.0L Coyote went on sale in the US as a 2011 debut with 412 hp in the Mk 5 Mustang, it debuted in Australia with a supercharger and 449 hp in the Ford Falcon sedan. Pre-production Coyotes sent to Australia were fitted with an Australian-made supercharger by Ford Performance Vehicles Australia and Prodrive. The supercharged Australian Coyote was dubbed the Miami engine and was used in the various FG-generation Ford Falcons.

Some of these were the:

• GS
• GT
• GT E
• GT-P
• GT Black
• GT R-Spec
• GT 351
• GT F
• XR8

3 Panoz Esperante Spyder GT

Years: 2014-2015

Panoz is a low-volume American automaker of sports and race cars founded in 1989. For just two model years of the second generation of its Esperante Spyder GT, it used the Coyote V8 as a base engine, replacing the old 4.6L versions of the Modular V8 up until that time. We reported on its debut at the time:

2 Ringbrothers Mercury Cougar

Years: 2022

Local builders of restomod muscle cars and bespoke creations, Ringbrothers made a 1968 Mercury Cougar restomod with a Coyote V8 under the hood and a ten-speed automatic transmission from the F-150 Raptor. A Flowmaster exhaust ensures you get the right sound effects, and the suspension and brakes have been upgraded to modern standards.

1 Icon Bronco BR

Years: 2019-present

American specialists Icon builds a delightful restomod of the original ’60s Ford Bronco, with a Coyote V8 and your choice of a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. With modern suspension and Brembo brakes, the Icon is an everyday usable classic Bronco with superb off-road credentials and eye-widening performance. It will cost you more than a quarter of a million dollars though.

Honorable mention: Bronco DR race car (2022)

The only Coyote Ford ever put in a Bronco wasn’t in a road car, but in the Bronco DR racer, especially built for contests such as the Baja 1000. It’s massively upgraded from the stock Bronco with high-clearance suspension and a roll cage. Its Coyote makes 418 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque.

Sources:

Icon

, Ford,

Road & Track

,

Hot Rod

, Ford Authority
.