SEMA’s all about go-faster parts for engines, naturally, and there was good news for both the racing and tuning communities from Ford and Hyundai. While Ford announced the next step in its plan to take its EcoBoost engine to the track, Hyundai detailed its plans to step into the crate motor business.
Hyundai will offer its 3.8 liter direct-injection V6 and its 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinders to aftermarket tuners starting in December. By selling engines at a lower cost than an equivalent replacement engine, Hyundai opens the door for many more tunes and customizers to use Hyundai power in unique creations, as well as making monster Hyundais for shows, drift events and more.
The four-cylinder can be purchased with the tubo, or in “turbo-ready” form to facilitate the installation of bigger turbochargers without leaving tuners with a bunch of extra parts. Hyundai’s crate engines include intake manifolds, ignition coils, fuel injectors and fuel delivery systems.
Bisi Ezerioha, the creator of the 1000-horsepower Bisimoto Genesis Coupe displayed this year, was the first tuner to purchase an engine through Hyundai’s crate motor program.
Meanwhile, over on the Ford stand, Chip Ganassi Racing announced its intent to switch to the 3.5 liter Ford EcoBoost V6 for the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Ford began testing in preparation to introduce the engine to the TUDOR SportsCar Championship last month, with Michael Shank Racing signing up as the first team.
After the Shank Racing car shattered closed-course speed records at Daytona during testing, the rest of the racing series seems to have taken notice. Chip Ganassi said, “We are very excited to be switching to Ford power for our sports car program Over the last 10 seasons we have been able to experience a great deal of success in GRAND-AM and now with the dawn of the new United SportsCar Championship we feel that Ford power will be a key ingredient to writing the next chapter of our sports car program. I can’t wait for the 24 hours of Daytona to get here.”
The EcoBoost engine has proven that its power and efficiency advantages are just as relevant on the track as on the street, and with a high-profile, championship-winning team on board, the EcoBoost is poised for success.
