PRI 2013: Ford Shows Off Its Ecoboost Crate Engine

by Jo Borras

Published: December 18th, 2013

pri 2013 ford shows off its ecoboost crate engine

Ford Racing quietly began offering its advanced, 2.0 liter Ecoboost turbocharged 4 cylinder crate engine earlier this year, without much fanfare. All that changed at the 2013 PRI Show in Indianapolis, however, with Ford’s Ecoboost powered 2015 Mustang twirling away on a giant lazy Susan directly under the giant “Ford Racing” banner mere steps away from the small crate engine, displayed proudly with its (relatively hefty) $8,000 price tag.

This was the first PRI outing (that I’m aware of) for Ford’s turbo 4, and the buzz around it was genuinely positive, with plenty of guys who cut their teeth on DSMs and 2.2 L turbo Chryslers in the- ahem!- 1990s suddenly interested in Ford’s muscular pony. Maybe for the first time, even- all of which bodes well for Ford, who needs to keep the Mustang brand relevant to the Gen-X and Millenial generations of enthusiasts if it hopes to enjoy another few decades of success.

As for specs, Ford’s littlest Ecoboost (crate engine) packs a 252 HP punch served up with 270 LB-FT of torque at just 3000 rpm- not bad for a company that couldn’t get that out of a production 5.0 liter V8 just 20 short years ago. You can check out a few more pictures of Ford’s racy 4-banger, below, and check out Ford Racing’s official 2.0 L Ecoboost page here.

Originally published on Gas 2.

Jo Borras

I've been in and around the auto industry since 1997, and have written for a number of well-known outlets like Cleantechnica, the Truth About Cars, Popular Mechanics, and more. You can also find me talking EVs with Matt Teske and Chris DeMorro on the Electrify Expo Podcast, writing about Swedish cars on my Volvo fan site, or chasing my kids around Oak Park.

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4 of 14 comments

Ojala on Dec 18, 2013

Motec appears to offer the only ECU(though I would love to be proven wrong) capable of running either the Ford or Hyundai motors. That adds thousands to the cost of swapping this engine into a car. Until there is a reasonably priced consumer grade engine management option I see these engines as OEM replacements and not "crate motors."

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Drtwofish on Dec 18, 2013

What's that you say? Would I like to use this for a Miata swap? Why yes...yes I would.

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- PrincipalDan on Dec 18, 2013
  
  Or a restoration of an MGB... :P
  
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- 360joules on Dec 18, 2013
  
  @PrincipalDan I knew a guy who sold MRI machines to hospitals and he put an SBC with the usual suspect GM tranny in his MGB. Shifter from a Fiero. Speed limited to 120 due to lack of downforce. Stealth wheel package with sticky tires made it a naughty vice at stoplights. The crate engine & tranny were predictable expenses but it cost 4000 to weld an internal rollcage and revised mounts in a corrosion free MGB.
  
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