Can you imagine a Ford Mustang with a V10 engine from a truck?

Most gearheads will profess to have the Ford Mustang as one of the cars that give them wet dreams. When the 7.0L V8 was retired by the second generation, the collective groan from disciples of displacement everywhere was understandable.

It's tempting enough to fantasize what a V10 might sound and feel like under the hood

The most power you can get on the current iteration of the Mustang is from a 5.2L V8 brandished by the Shelby GT500, with 760 hp and 847 Nm of torque. Rumor has it that the 2023 edition of the pony car could have a 6.8L V8 under the hood, but this wouldn’t be the first time a large engine would be wedged in the Mustang’s engine bay.

In the early years of the new millennium, Ford Motor Company’s Powertrain Research and Advanced Engine Development Group toyed with the idea of grafting a Triton V10 engine onto a Mustang. You read that right, the same mill that’s the largest Ford has ever built, powering the likes of the F-250, E-Series, even the Ford Excursion.

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The F-250 Super Chief Concept came with a V10 engine that can take in three different kinds of fuel

This particular V10 in question was cast in aluminum and could be distinguished from the stock Triton by being based off the 4.6L Cobra R, even borrowing its quad camshaft design. The short-stroke motor’s small size relative to the 5.4L V8 was easier to squeeze into the Mustang’s engine bay.

A demonstration in front of Ford executives convinced them enough to commission a 7.0L version which made 605 hp, to be fitted into the Ford 427 sedan concept. There were calls to use the ten-banger on the upcoming Ford GT, supported by people who mattered such as legendary automotive designer Carroll Shelby and John Coletti, head of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT).

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Ford's GT could have benefitted from all that power

Having a V10-powered Ford sports car would have been able to call out the Dodge Viper and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, but the GT project was already being held down by troubled finances and a short development timeline. In the end, Ford decided it was more cost-effective to just boost an existing 5.4L V8, and the dream V10 sedan (and Mustang) became nothing more than a missed opportunity.

If you consider getting a Mustang, you may want to check out our list of Mustang GT price Philippines. Stories of what could have been for your dream cars, only at Philkotse.com.