SEMA Preview: Ford stuffs 400-hp EcoBoost motor in '34 Hot Rod
1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe EcoBoost Hot Rod - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Oh, how times are changin'. Gone are the days of stuffing a Ford Racing crate motor into any and every Blue Oval show car at SEMA. It's all about the boost now... or at least EcoBoost. As part of their "Driving Green" initiative at this year's SEMA Show, Ford will be displaying a 1934 3-Window Coupe fitted with the twin-turbo V6 to create a blend of classic styling with modern performance and efficiency.
Built by Detroit Street Rods, the '34 Coupe is actually the first rear-drive application of the EcoBoost motor. The dual Honeywell turbochargers had to be repositioned to allow the 3.5-liter V6 to fit into the engine bay, but the rest of the motor is in production trim and pumps out 400 horsepower and an equal amount of torque. An all new replica steel body ensures that the coupe is quite a looker and you can read more details in the press release after the jump, and check back next week for live photos of the car as part of our full SEMA coverage.
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE:
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 28, 2009 – Hot rodders have always lived by the motto "There's no replacement for displacement," indicating that the more cubic inches an engine has, the better the resulting performance. Ford Powertrain and Detroit Street Rods are out to prove that thinking out-of-date with their EcoBoost™-powered '34 Ford hot rod.
To be introduced at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, the Ford hot rod will be the "first" rear-wheel-drive application of the 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 delivering an estimated 400 horsepower and 400 ft.-lb. of torque – power numbers that easily rival a typical hot rod's 302-cubic-inch V-8 or even a modern-day V-8 of similar size.
"EcoBoost technology shows that there is a viable replacement for displacement," said Dan Kapp, director of Ford Powertrain Research and Advanced Engineering, who will be part of a SEMA "Driving Green" technology briefing panel discussion during the show. "As consumers' demand for fuel efficiency continues to grow, and our commitment to delivering best-in-class fuel economy remains steadfast, it's important to show that performance does not need to suffer as a result."
"Hot rod builds provide blank canvases for SEMA member companies and SEMA is uniquely positioned to demonstrate that horsepower and green power can coexist without sacrificing performance or the cool factor," said John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of Vehicle Technology. "This '34 EcoBoost hot rod is a fantastic example of modern green technology being applied in a manner that any performance enthusiast would love."
The EcoBoost family of engines uses turbocharging and direct injection technology to deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy and up to 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions versus larger-displacement engines.
"The beauty of EcoBoost is that it enables us to downsize for fuel efficiency, yet boost for power," said Kapp. "We're able to decrease the size of the available engine – such as installing a V-6 versus a V-8 – yet boost the power using turbocharging to deliver similar power and torque to that larger engine."
The first EcoBoost engine, a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6, launched this year on the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO and Flex and on the Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT. The EcoBoost V-6 produces 355 horsepower (365 hp in the Taurus SHO) and 350 ft.-lb. of torque.
Ford has recently announced the first four-cylinder EcoBoost engines, launching in global applications beginning next year. The 1.6-liter EcoBoost I-4 first arrives in Europe, followed by the 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 launching on products in both Europe and North America.
Going forward, Ford will shift its powertrain strategy to be built around EcoBoost technology. Under the new system:
* A 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 would replace naturally aspirated V-8 engines
* A 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 would replace naturally aspirated V-6 engines
* A 1.6-liter EcoBoost I-4 would replace naturally aspirated large I-4 engines
Following the launches of the new EcoBoost I-4s will be the extension of the 3.5-liter V-6 to the first rear-wheel-drive configuration in the F-150 pickup truck late next year. Another global application, the Ford Falcon sedan in Australia, will receive a rear-wheel-drive version of the 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 in 2011.
The fun-to-drive nature of EcoBoost engines is leading Ford to introduce these fuel-saving powertrains in large volumes virtually across its lineup. For example, by 2013 more than 90 percent of Ford's North American lineup will be available with EcoBoost technology, and nearly 80 percent of Ford's global nameplates will have an available EcoBoost option.
By 2013, global EcoBoost volume throughout the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle family is expected to be 1.3 million units, with up to 750,000 sales coming from North America alone.
'34 Ford EcoBoost hot rod project
Detroit Street Rods' latest build is a 1934 Ford and is a joint venture with Ford Motor Company and Experi-metal. In this '34 application, the EcoBoost engine is configured for rear-wheel drive and is coupled with a Tremec five-speed manual transmission.
"The decision to use the EcoBoost engine for our powertrain on this project was an easy one in that it gave us the opportunity to combine the iconic '34 Ford sculpted body lines with the advanced technology of the EcoBoost powerplant," stated Robert Smith, president of Detroit Street Rods. "The result is the perfect hot rod marriage of advanced technology for power and legendary automobile design."
While the stock Honeywell turbochargers that drive the EcoBoost engine are used, they were repackaged to fit the engine bay of this all-steel replica body. The engine configuration and turbocharger packaging was dynamometer tested by Ford Powertrain for proper calibration of the engine electronic control module (ECM). In addition to the all-stock engine, other components including the fuel pump, ECM, fuel pump module, fuel pump processor and drive-by-wire throttle were utilized in their original production configuration.
The body is from Steve's Auto Restoration and is the recently released 1934 Ford 3-Window coupe. The complete body and fenders are from brand-new tooling, and are designed, stamped and manufactured by Experi-metal in Sterling Heights, Mich. This "replica" '34 features all-steel construction, full fenders, running boards, electronic power windows, air conditioning and custom bumpers.
The engine was repackaged and fitted with an engine plate adapter to mate with an aluminum flywheel, performance clutch and a Tremec TKO five-speed transmission. The turbochargers were repositioned to the front of the cylinder heads and custom aluminum tubing was used to route the air from the custom air cleaner through the air-to-air intercooler. The exhaust gases are routed from the cylinder heads through coated headers, through the stock wastegates, and pass through large custom exhaust cones located outside the engine bay and just above the front fenders.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
leftlaneabuse 5:48PM (10/28/2009)
Why? Quit f'ing around and put this motor in the Mustang with the track pack. The 2010 Mustangs are dead men walking now that everyone knows about the new 6 and 8 cylinder motors. Get on with it already.
Reply
Allen 7:10AM (10/29/2009)
I agree. I'd like to see what this engine is capable of in a proper RWD car with a proper 3-pedal manual and a curb weight significantly south of 4000lb. I'd imagine that 4.5 second runs to sixty and high 12 second quarter mile times aren't out of the question.
adam1drift 12:07PM (10/29/2009)
My thoughts exactly
Can’t wait to see this in the Mustang! They will have it detuned but we know it can make the 400hp easy so give it to us!
Would also love to see Lincoln bring a new RWD coupe to the market with this engine in it with the looks of the MKS!
Hale 5:51PM (10/28/2009)
hopefully they will turn this into a crate engine
Reply
StickShift 10:11PM (10/28/2009)
Seconded. I want this motor in a 64 Falcon.
Allen 7:08AM (10/29/2009)
It would be possible if Ford packaged all the necessary electronics into a plug and play package. The big problem is that it wouldn't be cheap.
Matt 5:57PM (10/28/2009)
Shoulda had a V8. Did they give it their limp-wristed FWD-based AWD system too?
And that '34 STILL gets V8 mileage....
Reply
British_Rover 6:06PM (10/28/2009)
God you are dumb.
http://www.cars.com/go/compare/trimCompare.jsp?acodes=USC00AUC021B0,USC00MBC782A0,USC00INC131A0,USC00FOC072C0
SHO gets better mileage then the E550 4Matic, A6 4.2 and M45X plus it is a larger heavier car.
The SHO is 20 combined while the E550 and A6 are 18 the M45X is only 16 cause of the 5 speed automatic.
eric 6:09PM (10/28/2009)
read the article and you will get your answer
andyx 8:20PM (10/28/2009)
He does not read the articles, He just write his Dumb comments just people would notice him....
Matt 9:56PM (10/28/2009)
Hey Andy,
At least my sentences are complete with proper punctuation.
Kind of hypocritical to call my comments dumb when you can't even get basic writing down.
Matt 10:00PM (10/28/2009)
Funny...all of the cheerleaders were to busy obsessing and stalking my comments that they are missing the completely obvious:
Ford now has a Twin Force engine for RWD applications...
Nic 10:28PM (10/28/2009)
@Matt
How about you just admit you were incorrect instead of attacking someone else over sentence structure. Your original point was disproved, plain and simple.
Matt 10:34PM (10/28/2009)
What original 'point'?
Nic 10:47PM (10/28/2009)
I believe that you pointed out this, "And that '34 STILL gets V8 mileage...." which implies that the Ecoboost V6 does not acheive any better gas mileage as a V8. Subsequently it was pointed out by British Racer that the Ecoboost V6 does in fact acheive better gas mileage compared to the V8 offerings.
Matt 11:59PM (10/28/2009)
And the Genesis...which is only 150 pounds lighter than Lincoln's Taurus rebadge...but yet has a MUCH bigger engine and MORE power, gets the same 17/25.
So...Ford has a 3.5 V6 that gets V8 mileage.
BOLD moves.
andyx 12:32AM (10/29/2009)
@Matt, it's not the grammar nor the punctuation that makes the sentence or the paragraph but the content within. Just because I hurt your EGO, you nitpick on me! hahahaha
Please don't feed the TROLL, he would just distort all facts just to feed his EGO!!!
Nic 1:00AM (10/29/2009)
Here is a simple run down of comparable cars (I got all the numbers from the respective automaker's websites)
528i 230 hp I6 18/27
528xi 230 hp I6 17/26
535i 300 hp I6 17/26
535xi 300 hp I6 17/25
550i 360 hp V8 15/23
E350 4Matic 268 hp V6 17/24
E350 268 hp V6 18/26
E500 4Matic 382 hp V8 14/19(no longer available but it is a V8 AWD)
E500 V8 382 hp 16/24
A6 3.2 FWD CVT 265 hp V6 18/27
A6 3.0T AWD 300 hp V6 18/26
A6 4.2 AWD 350 hp V8 16/23
M35 303 hp V6 17/25
M35x 303 hp V6 16/22
M45 325 hp V8 16/21
M45x 325 hp V8 14/20
GS 350 303 hp V6 19/26
GS 350 AWD 303 hp V6 18/25
GS 460 342 hp V8 17/24
Genesis 290 hp V6 18/27
Genesis 368 hp V8 17/25
Taurus 3.5 AWD 263 hp V6 17/25
Taurus 3.5 EB AWD 365 hp V6 17/25
MKS 3.7 AWD 273 hp V6 16/23
MKS 3.5 EB AWD 355 hp V6 17/25
So lets look…
…is there any V8 RWD sedans that get better than the 3.5 EB V6?
No, but the Hyundai does match, and the MB and Lexus come close.
…is there any V8 AWD sedans that get better than the 3.5 EB V6?
No, there is only two, the Audi and Infiniti, and they both fall short.
…is there any V6 non-RWD sedans that get better than the 3.5 EB V6?
Yes, the E350, Genesis, GS 350, A6, 535i and 528i all get mostly one more MPG hwy with a few getting two more MPG hwy.
**of special note though is that the HP range of these cars is only 230-303hp. Notice that is significantly below the 3.5 EB output.
…is there any V6 AWD sedans that get better than the 3.5 EB V6?
Yes, but there is only two, the 528xi which puts out only 230hp, or 125-135hp less than the 3.5 EB V6, and the A6 3.0T which puts out 55-65 hp less.
….how many V6 AWD sedans match the 3.5 EB V6?
Two, the GS 350 and 535xi.
…how many V6 AWD sedans do worse than the 3.5 EB V6?
Two, the E350 4Matic and M35x.
Conclusion…
The 3.5 Ecoboost V6 produces fuel efficiency that is the same as other V6 AWD sedans in the same class.
The 3.5 Ecoboost V6 produces hp that is competitive with the V8 offerings in the class of cars.
Yes the motor does do what it is claimed to do.
Matt 8:38AM (10/29/2009)
No.....it doesn't.
Ford falsely claims that it "gets 20% better fuel economy than a V8". That would mean that if the Genesis.....with it's more powerful and BIGGER V8, gets 17/25, then the Taurus SHOW/MKTaurus SHOW should get around 20/30. They don't get even close to that.
Ford is being dishonest yet again.
Nic 9:30AM (10/29/2009)
The last I checked the Hyundai Genesis isn't the only car in that class....in fact I typed up a list of cars(granted now I realize that I forgot Volvo S80). Additionally does the Genesis doesn't have AWD, and if it did it would get worse gas mileage, and that is the truth. Just because you ignore the rest of the class of cars doesn't mean they don't exist.