Ford Will Keep Making V8s Even If Its The “Only One On The Planet” Doing So

It’s been a rough year or so for the good old American V8. Stellantis has been culling Hemis left, right and centre, including in the Charger and Challenger in a bid to push its electric performance cars while the Chevrolet Camaro also said goodbye in 2023. That leaves the Ford Mustang as the only pony car with eighth-cylinders and, fortunately, it doesn’t sound like that’s changing anytime soon.

Speaking with media at a launch party for Ford Performance’s racing season, CEO Jim Farley has confirmed the V8 will live on for as long as they can possibly make it.

He said: “Mustang is going to celebrate its 60th anniversary coming up here. A lot of our competitors have left. They’ve come and gone. We never did that. We’ve always been there with Mustang.

“Sixty years, and it’s changed over time. We have EcoBoost, we have the Dark Horse now, and we’re going to continue to invest. And if we’re the only one on the planet making a V8 affordable sports car for everyone in the world, so be it."

Of course, there’s already the argument Ford has diluted the Mustang name with the Mach-E SUV. While we don’t necessarily disagree, its existence may be to thank for the proper pony remaining with Farley adding “Mach-E lets us sell ICE vehicles for a long time to come”.

We’re still waiting for the S650 Ford Mustang to be sold in the UK but right now in the US, you can have the V8 in GT or Dark Horse form alongside an entry-level 2.3-litre EcoBoost. However, when it does come to our shores, don’t be surprised to see the four-cylinder option dropped from the line-up much like it was late on in the life of the S550 due to demand for the V8.

There’s no doubt that global appeal has something to do with Ford keeping the V8 ‘Stang going, with Farley adding: “What other car in the world races on six continents on any given weekend? And that’s because we have a V8 engine”