Ford's Bizarre 'calliope' V8 Was Built For Le Mans, But Never Made It

Even immoderate die-hard Ford fans whitethorn beryllium unfamiliar pinch nan Calliope (that's kuh-lie-uh-pee) title engine, an incredibly uncommon V8 that was built exclusively for Le Mans. 

The nonstop timeline is simply a spot murky, but arsenic Dan Schoneck of Schoneck Composites explained successful a video featured connected REVan Evan's YouTube channel, it was astir nan clip of nan mid-'60s Le Mans Ford-versus-Ferrari era that Blue Oval started moving connected nan Calliope. Mind you, this was conscionable earlier nan Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) decided to virtually axe immoderate dream for Ford's big-block engines participating successful Group 6 racing. According to Schoneck, nan title V8 would person astir apt ended up successful nan Mk IV GT40 (not nan million-dollar track-only GT Mk IV, obviously), pinch Ford apt aiming for golden successful nan '68 season. 

Much of nan engine's specifications are still shrouded successful mystery, arsenic only 3 prototypes were built, pinch only 1 successful Ford's custody — astatine nan Henry Ford Museum. The whereabouts of nan different 2 stay unclear. That said, Schoneck managed to sojourn nan facility, photograph nan engine, and cod arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic he was permitted to. Technical specifications see a 4.34-inch bore and 3.60-inch stroke, meaning it's a reasonably over-square engine. Ergo, plentifulness of revs. And it was reasonably rev-happy, pinch nan Calliope managing to push 630 horsepower astatine 6,300 RPM. Per Hot Rod, Ford was eyeing 800 horsepower pinch a redline group to 8,000 revs. Although testing was mostly constricted to dynos, 1 of nan prototypes yet ended up successful a Can-Am trial car.

But that was nan past anyone heard of this experimental title V8, which reminds america of nan Ford 427 "Cammer" and nan 426 Hemi – the erstwhile was banned from NASCAR. So what's pinch nan "Calliope" name, you ask? A Calliope is simply a uniquely American instrumentality –more specifically, a steam organ that's tin of producing high-pitched sounds from its galore agelong and short tubes. Observe nan V8, and you'll announcement nan velocity stacks stock a resemblance pinch nan instrument's whistles, positive it's wholly American.

Schoneck, who has now formed nan cylinder head, revealed immoderate of nan engine's intricacies. Although nan 427 Calliope was a clean-sheet design, he noticed nan lipid select adapter looked very FE-like. But that's astir it. The motor follows a semi-hemi aliases pent-roof combustion enclosure layout pinch a pushrod three-valves-per-cylinder design, featuring 2 intake valves measuring 1.66 inches and a azygous exhaust valve that's 1.809 inches successful diameter. The intake manifold is simply a portion of nan caput casting, arsenic are runners and nan individual throttle bodies, according to Schoneck.

A unsocial creation quirk that will drawback your attraction is really nan exhaust camshaft is located astir 4.5 inches higher than nan intake camshaft. Also, nan exhaust ports are oval, which should unfastened doors for immoderate interesting high-performance header styles. All told, it's still very overmuch a activity successful progress.