GEN3 is another step closer after the completion of two rounds of engine durability testing in the United States.
With Ford Performance having first executed long-distance testing on its 5.4-litre Coyote, it was down to General Motors and its new 5.7-litre pushrod to follow suit.
Engine guru Ken McNamara of KRE returned Wednesday from what he dubbed a successful week at General Motors’ Global Propulsion Systems facility in Pontiac, just north of Detroit.
All up, 5600km of running – equivalent to 900 laps of Bathurst – was completed on a state-of-the-art dyno without triggering any significant red flags.
“We got a little bit of tuning done while we were there, but all in all it was quite successful,” McNamara told V8 Sleuth.
“It’s only one engine obviously but we didn’t see any power degradation, the power stayed the same, so that was good.
“Normally if there’s a problem, it will show up with a loss of power but we didn’t see any of that.
“We should see (that engine back in Australia) next week; we’ll be at Bathurst, but we’ll get it back, put it back on my dyno, give it another run and then we’ll strip it and have a look at everything.
“After Bathurst we’ll start building the first batch of engines.”
McNamara noted a particular upside to the new-generation motors.
MORE: Bathurst 1000 legend set for first Gen3 laps
“I think the current engines are quite good but the airbox is their biggest downfall,” he said.
“There’s a lot of dirt going through them so they tend to wear out quicker than what they should.
“I think Gen3 with the single-throttle body and the new Ryco Filters set-up in the front, that will be a very good thing. There’s no chance of dirt getting in.”
Two particularly important dates are coming up for Gen3: the public unveiling of the updated S650 Ford Mustang Supercar next week at Bathurst, and the all-important final VCAT in November.
Chassis have gradually begun being distributed in recent weeks, with Erebus Motorsport, Brad Jones Racing and Matt Stone among the non-homologation teams to have taken receipt.
