Photo: Eximia Media for Willis Performance Enterprises
Unleashed as a crate engine last year, the Godzilla produces 430 horsepower and 475 pound-feet (644 Nm) of torque without any mods at all. The ratings are conservative because Ford developed the big-block V8 for heavy haulers, which is excellent news if you’re into engines.
You see, the bone-stock internals of the Godzilla are designed to take a lot of repeated abuse in the guise of towing. The pushrod-activated valvetrain with a single cam phaser to adjust the valve timing is complemented by a cast-iron block, a forged crankshaft, and cross-bolted main caps. Not bad for $8k as opposed to $9k for the crate version of the Coyote, don’t you think?
But wait, there’s more! Whipple is the first aftermarket company to develop a twin-screw supercharging kit for the 7.3-liter leviathan, consisting of a 3.0-liter blower that pushes 700 horsepower and 750 pound-feet (1,017 Nm) of torque at the crankshaft thanks to a 132-millimeter billet throttle body.
The peeps at Willis Performance Enterprises weren’t impressed by these specifications, though. Starting off with a Whipple-charged Godzilla engine, their latest project has dyno’d at 1,450 horsepower and 1,030 pound-feet (1,396 Nm) of torque with the standard block, crank, and ignition coils.
Bear in mind, however, that a lot of bits and bobs have been replaced or improved in order to reach these absolutely insane figures. Proprietary rockers, upgrades to the rollers, rockers, and lifters, a different engine control unit with custom mapping, a small blower pulley, and a bellmouth are only a few notable changes, along with the heads, rods, and pistons.
The Godzilla has also been modified with a dry-sump lubrication system, the compression ratio is 12.5:1 as opposed to 10.5:1 stock, and the blower is running at 16.6 pounds per square inch of boost. Oh, and by the way, the dinosaur juice used for the dyno run is VP C16, which costs $20 per gallon.
Obviously enough, high-octane race fuel with a RON of more than 120 makes a lot of difference over pump gas. Ideal for force-fed applications and nitrous systems, VP C16 is available in 5-, 15-, and 54-gallon guises.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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