It sounded crazy at first. Ford announced that it would be putting a Coyote engine in its upcoming hypercar, and we immediately thought, “The same engine as the Ford Mustang? In a hypercar??” But it’s actually not the same engine at all.
The upcoming hypercar will have V8 like the Mustang, but this 5.4L V8 is quite different from the existing 5.0L found in the Mustang Dark Horse R. Christian Hertrich, Ford Racing’s chief powertrain engine, told Road & Track: “I think we’re being generous at calling it a Coyote other than, we started the block with the production casting, but it’s been modified fairly significantly in terms of machining.
“We had hoped to be able to carry over more of our GT3 engine. But as we got into it, the speeds at which we need to push, the expectations, and really just the competition level drove us into a lot of unique architecture and components.”
Ford’s new hypercar will be competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year. However, we don’t know much about this engine quite yet — this V8 that will reach these incredible performance standards. Standards for a hypercar. All we know is that it will be lighter than the Mustang’s Coyote, with far less piping, and will rev higher. The design is inspired by Ford’s time studying F1, so there will be plenty of different manufacturing techniques and modifications. This includes things like oil cavities coated with diamond-like carbon.
“We’ve released that on the F1 program, we’re doing a lot of additive manufacturing,” Hertrich explained to Road & Track. “So we have taken what we have learned and put in process with the F1 program, and we are producing a lot of our additive parts for the program in-house… We cast in a lot of the passages for oil and water so we can get them to whichever side of the engine we want without external piping. So we’re able to move water from one side of the engine to the other, via passages that we cast in at the front of the engine in the cylinder heads.
“Again, that was a strategic move to be able to close-couple heat exchangers, combine water flows and oil flows, reduce piping and joints that could cause us durability concerns.”
Ford’s hypercar remains a mystery, aside from how it will sound
The Ford WEC Hypercar program was announced in late 2025, with a vehicle debuting at the season-opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. With a year left until the race, the car community is still largely in the dark about this upcoming hypercar. However, the chassis partner, ORECA, has been revealed. With the program and partner in place, it looks like Ford has the foundation ready for a prototype.
Well, we now know its engine, the 5.4L V8, which makes sense since Le Mans calls for small-displacement, high-output turbocharged engines. What sets Ford’s apart, however, is that it’s not an engine made specifically for a hypercar. It’s inspired by the Coyote inside the Dark Horse R. The reason? Connecting with enthusiasts.
“When you hear a Ford coming down the Mulsanne Straight at three in the morning, you shouldn’t have to look at the badge to know who it is. That’s why we chose the Coyote,” the brand said in a statement.
Not much else is known about the Ford hypercar, including its appearance and other performance features. But it seems that Ford is being quite intentional with the whole thing.
“Bringing Ford back to the top class at Le Mans has always been a dream for many of us, including our Executive Chair Bill Ford,” said Ford Motor Company President Jim Farley. “To be able to partner with ORECA is a proud moment for Ford. We are coming back to Le Mans to win, and we aren’t making that a secret. On Sunday, it will be exactly 56 years since we last took the top step of the overall podium here. That is long enough.
“In 2027, we are coming with the same level of expectation, and we are entrusting ORECA to help us take on Ferrari and the other top-class teams as we did back in the 1960’s.”
Ford went for an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the last time 60 years ago with its GT40, capturing four consecutive victories from 1966 to 1969. Since then, Ford has been more focused on class victories, winning the Ford GTE Pro class in 2016 and the Ford Mustang GT3 class in 2024. While it’s not the Coyote as we know it, hearing that distinctive Mustang sound in Le Mans — especially if Ford’s hypercar performs well — is worth cheering for in itself. It’s a sound that many people have no problem listening to for 24 hours, that’s for sure.
