The Controversial Ford Voodoo V8 That Was Killed Off Too Early

Back in 2015, internal combustion fans were living through something of a golden stretch. Chevrolet had a 650-horsepower Corvette Z06 with a supercharged V8. Dodge’s Viper carried an 8.4-liter V10 producing 645 horsepower without forced induction. Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS spun a four-liter flat-six to 500 hp and loved doing it. Buyers could choose between 6 and 10 cylinder engines, boost or revs, and none of it required hybrid assistance. It was loud, mechanical, and unapologetic.

Into that atmosphere stepped Ford with something unusual for an American brand: the 5.2-liter Voodoo V8.

Complete Powertrain Information

The distinguishing feature of the Voodoo was the flat-plane crankshaft, which is more likely to be found on an exotic or race car than on a muscle car. The flat-plane configuration is lighter than a conventional cross-plane crankshaft, and this has less rotating mass, and the engine thus can rotate at higher speeds. It also alters the order of firing, turning the well-known American V8 burble into something sharper, more exotic, and almost sinister.

Ford optimized the cylinder heads, manifolds, and valvetrain around that crankshaft, pushing airflow and performance while trying to manage the inherent trade-offs. A 2014 article from the Society of Automotive Engineers noted that displacements above 4.6 liters can introduce severe vibration issues with this layout. Ford went further anyway, developing the Voodoo at 5.2 liters and engineering solutions to mitigate the shaking. According to SAE reporting, the engine nearly didn’t reach production because of those vibration challenges, yet engineers persisted.

On the road, or more accurately on track, the engine felt different from traditional American V8s. Its low-rev torque was not its best attribute and this resulted in a marginally restless normal driving experience. However, the instant the throttle was thrown to the full, the nature changed. At approximately 4,000 rpm the buildup started to form and it was pushing at approximately 5,000 rpm. This feeling was easily drowned out by the sound and some drivers may think that 6,000 rpm was the time to change gears after which they would look at the dashboard and the fuel cut-off button would still be at 8,250 rpm.

Sound tuning was deliberate. Extensive manifold and exhaust development aimed to make the GT350’s voice feel more American and less Italian. One Ford NVH specialist compared the work to tuning a musical instrument. Drivers could adjust exhaust volume through multiple settings, with additional customization offered via the drive mode selector system.

Other Specifications

The GT350’s Integrated Driver Control System offered Normal, Sport, Track, Weather, and Drag modes, covering everything from balanced commuting settings to reduced stability control intervention and optimized straight-line acceleration.

Yet the Voodoo’s reputation became complicated. Early GT350 owners reported limp mode activating after just a few laps, with throttle response dropping to near zero and the car requiring a cooldown. In a track-ready machine that costs around 50 grand, losing power after roughly 15 minutes of aggressive driving raised concerns. Causes included oil pressure loss and overheating. Although auxiliary heat exchangers and added coolers in the Track Package were designed to manage temperatures, issues persisted. Ford made cooling improvements standard in 2017, though engine replacements remained fairly common, and that same year a class action lawsuit alleging deceptive marketing was filed, with the ruling not made public.

Conclusion

For many, the Voodoo V8 remains one of the most ambitious American engines of its era, an exotic idea executed at 5.2 liters and pushed to 8,250 rpm, brilliant and flawed in equal measure, and perhaps gone sooner than some enthusiasts would have preferred.

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