I read (in a newspaper article) awhile back that Ford engineers have stated that producing high HP engines that are fairly docile to maintain is no longer a real challenge. They said that with FI, ECM, turbo technology and the rest of the computerized wonders they have available now, 700+ HP is both possible and feasible in a factory-warranted engine under 300 cubic inches. As always, the kind of heavy duty drivetrain and suspension that would be necessary to
handle such massive HP would not be feasible to produce at a reasonable price, making such extremely high HP numbers unlikely to show up in a future Ford Explorer - or even a Mustang.
However, the 300+ HP often found under the hood of today's 'Soccer Mom's' SUV and in the luxury class 'sport sedans' available shows that higher HP vehicles - most with relatively small displacement engines - are quite acceptable to the masses. That being the case, 500+ HP high-performance vehicles (besides the Corvette and other sport car 'exotics') are
possible in the fairly near future in selected models of some of the pricier sedans, if not the Mustang. All this progress in the HP game kind of makes the old mega-cube, highly modified, temperamental and often unreliable high-HP engines of yesteryear seem a bit outdated but still interesting for the effort made on them with what technology and equipment was available at the time. Much like the Offenhauser engines that once totally dominated Indy Racing, the mega-cube V-8's of the recent past are always worth a look back to see where we've been and how far we've come with internal combustion engine technology and the ability to put massive amounts of HP under a driver's right foot with a relatively small and
reliable engine doing the work. I think that Larry Shinoda would be pleased.
Of course, should gasoline prices ever get too high or an actual long-term gas shortage develops, all bets are off.