We still have no idea what would inspire someone to build a V10 engine to drop in a Lincoln Continental, but we’re sure enthralled by the person who did. In the latest version of the positively Presidential engine swap, the custom-built V10 engine hits the dynomometer.
It’s time to listen to the 10-cylinder engine’s Lexus-like scream (video embedded at the bottom of this article) to find out if it’s really going to be capable of hitting the 8,000-rpm goal, and to measure just how much horsepower this engine can make.
V10, Stick Shift, Rear Drive 10th-Gen Continental – Perfect
The team at Build It Yourself started on this absurd project last year. The car started as an overlooked copy of the last-gen Continental with an absolutely smashed-in nose. Some serious cutting of the floor and the addition of front and rear subframes from an S550 Mustang meant the engine could bolt in and that the car would be rear-wheel drive – with a manual transmission.
Building the engine, though, is the truly amazing part. This is a twin-cam Ford Triton V10. That’s the 6.8-liter block you might have found in a Super Duty pickup or an E-Series van a decade ago, but if you know your Fords, you know that engine was never offered with double overhead cams.
The team started out by trying to mash together four SN95 Mustang Cobra cylinder heads, but those heads couldn’t handle the job. So Build It Yourself ended up making their own custom heads. While they were at it, some high-lift cams went in to try and make more power and raise the redline.
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This free-flowing DOHC V10 engine absolutely screams on the dyno. The sound of 10 barely-muffled cylinders screams in a way that BMW’s E60 M5 S85 V10 can’t manage. It sounds more like a Lexus LFA at full song.
In this video, the V10 Continental gets new polyurethane bushings for the rear subframe to stop the driveshaft from hitting the body. It also got some unfinished jobs finished, like filling some holes they cut in the floor.
The V10 Lincoln Hits The Dyno
With the engine tuner behind the wheel and the car strapped down to the dyno, it was time to let rip. The first power pull delivered 448 horsepower at the wheels. The next took it up to 453 hp with 402 lb-ft of torque at the tires.
Finally, they go for 7,000+ revs. The engine howls, the dyno drums spin, and the car peaks at 495 hp with 391 lb-ft. Yes, that’s a bit less torque, but sometimes those things happen.
Account for driveline losses, and the builders say that’s equivalent to 600 measured at the crank. There is one thing they think is stopping them from making more, though, and that’s the fuel system. Despite maxed-out injectors and a maxed-out pump, this engine is making 200 horses more than any factory Continental and 300 more than any stock two-valve Ford V10.
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The goal is another 100 horsepower at the wheels. Some fuel system upgrades are coming, and there might be some cam timing tweaking going on. Whatever it takes to solve the power curve flattening at 6,000 rpm.
Then, of course, they need to finish the car. But as long as we can keep hearing that howl, that’s good enough for us.
#V10 #Lincoln #Sounds #Power
