10 Legendary Cars Powered By Ford's Windsor V8 – CarBuzz

The V8 engine has been a part of Ford’s history for almost as long as the company has existed: the first Ford to be powered by a V8 arrived on the market in 1932, and the company has produced countless different V8 engines ever since, culminating in present-day beasts like the 7.3-liter “Godzilla” engine.

The small-block V8 engine family, first introduced in the early ’60s with the “Fairlane V8”, stands out in the company’s history for its longevity, performance and reliability, powering numerous Ford models over the course of over three decades. The “Windsor” name is frequently used in the car world as an umbrella term to describe all engines from Ford’s small-block V8 series. However, it was only ever officially used to refer to the largest engine in the family, the 351W (with a displacement of 5.8 liters or 351 cubic inches, hence its code).

The Windsor name was used to make a distinction between the 351W, which was built in Windsor, Ontario, and the 351 Cleveland, a similar engine produced in Cleveland, Ohio. Both engines went into production in 1969. Let’s explore some of the legendary Ford models that have been powered by the 351W “Windsor” over the years.

The 351W “Windsor” Engine In Numbers

1 Ford Galaxie

One of the first models to be powered by the newly built Windsor was the fourth generation of the Ford Galaxie. The Galaxie’s name was inspired by the Space Race, which was a strong part of the cultural zeitgeist of the era and provided inspiration to the automotive industry on several occasions (such as the Oldsmobile Rocket 88).

The fourth-generation model was available in both 2-door and 4-door form, as a sedan, station wagon, or convertible. The Windsor engine was accompanied by an inline-six, another (4.9-liter) small-block V8, and four larger V8 options in the fourth-gen Galaxie’s engine lineup.

2 Ford Mustang

The same year, the Windsor was introduced to the Galaxie. It also made an appearance in the legendary Ford Mustang. One of the most well-known muscle cars in history, the Mustang had been on the market for five years when the Windsor engine was added to the lineup. In 1969, the model underwent a restyle, with new design cues as well as added length and width.

The 1969 model year was also notable for being the first with quad headlights both inside and outside the grille, a styling cue that would remain part of the Mustang’s design language for several years. The Windsor engine was on offer in the Mustang for one further year, before being removed from the lineup when the model was given another revamp in 1971.

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3 Mercury Cougar

Another model to get the Windsor engine in 1969 was the Mercury Cougar. Mercury was Ford’s mid-level sub-brand, created in 1939 to offer a midpoint in between Ford’s own models and the luxury Lincoln division. The first generation of the Cougar arrived on the market in 1967, and two years later the Windsor engine, along with several of its small-block siblings (including the Cleveland equivalent), was introduced to the lineup.

The second generation of the Cougar was introduced for the 1971 model year, with a design shake-up and an increased focus on luxury. The Windsor engine remained on offer for the 1971 model year before being taken off the lineup.

4 Ford Torino

Immortalized on the big screen in Clint Eastwood’s 2008 film Gran Torino, the Ford Torino offered the Windsor engine as part of its lineup throughout the model’s second and third generation. While, in previous years, the Torino had been a sister model of the Fairlane, when the second generation was introduced, the Torino became the main model, with the Fairlane as a subseries.

The squared-off styling of the first generation gave way to sleeker, rounded lines, a design trend which continued for the rest of the model’s lifetime. The Windsor V8 was accompanied by several other options in the engine lineup, including an inline-six, the Cleveland V8 and the larger 385-series V8.

5 Ford Thunderbird

First introduced in 1955, the Ford Thunderbird is what the American market refers to as a “personal luxury car”, a high-end sporty coupe that emphasizes comfort above performance. While other versions of the small-block V8 powered several generations of the Thunderbird, the 5.8-liter Windsor engine only appeared in the model’s seventh generation, which was on the market for just three model years between 1977 and 1979.

Alongside the Windsor, the 351 Cleveland and its successor, the 351M, were also part of the seventh-gen Thunderbird’s engine lineup, as was the 4.9-liter small-block V8, sometimes also referred to as “Windsor”.

6 Ford Bronco

The Windsor engine enjoyed a very long life in Ford’s Bronco SUV, remaining a part of the model’s engine lineup for three generations (third, fourth, and fifth). In the third-gen Bronco, a high-output version of the Windsor, which produced 210 hp, was available alongside the standard variant.

Subsequent generations carried on using a 4.9-liter inline six as the standard engine option, but the Windsor V8 continued to be available until the Bronco was taken off the market in 1996. The Bronco name wouldn’t be resurrected until the modern variant of the model arrived in 2021, this time with no V8 options available at all.

7 Ford LTD

First arriving on the market in 1965, the LTD full-size sedan sported an unusual name which was the subject of extended speculation in the car world. Some suggest it stood for “Luxury/Limited Trim Decor” or “Lincoln Type Design”, while historical promotional material from Ford suggests it didn’t stand for anything in particular and had an ambiguous meaning.

The LTD offered an increased focus on comfort and high-end features, elevating the Ford range to a level previously occupied exclusively by Mercury and Lincoln. It also gained fame in the automotive world for its Crown Victoria version, the flagship member of the LTD family that became a pop culture icon as a police car. The Windsor engine appeared in the model’s third generation, alongside two smaller variants of Ford’s small-block V8 (a 4.2- and a 4.9-liter).

8 Ford F-Series

The Windsor engine has mainly powered cars, but it has also proven it can hold its own in a pickup truck. The F-Series family of trucks is a mainstay of the American automotive market, with the F-150 in particular having been the best-selling vehicle (not just the best-selling truck) in the US for several decades now.

The Windsor has been part of the F-Series’ large engine lineup throughout three generations (seventh, eight, and ninth). Towards the end of the seventh generation, a high-output version of the Windsor was introduced for the 1984 model year, increasing power output from 150 hp to 210 hp.

9 Mercury Marquis/Grand Marquis

Another entry for Mercury, this time with the Marquis (a full-size sedan) and its flagship sub-model, the larger Grand Marquis. In the Marquis, the Windsor engine was offered in the model’s first generation, alongside two other small-block V8 engines (the 4.2- and 4.9-liter variants).

The Grand Marquis, meanwhile, started out as a trim level in the Marquis range, before being promoted to a standalone model in 1979. In 1983, a smaller (4.9-liter) engine from the small-block V8 family was introduced; the 5.8-liter Windsor arrived three years later, and remained part of the lineup for the rest of the Grand Marquis’ first generation, which ended in 1991.

10 Lincoln Continental Mark VI

The Windsor engine has only been used once by Lincoln, Ford’s luxury sub-brand, in the Continental Mark VI, a full-size luxury car by Ford’s upmarket Lincoln division. The Continental name had been used since 1939, later evolving into the “Mark” series over the years. While most Continentals had only been offered as a two-door sedan, the Mark VI re-introduced the four-door sedan body style, which had last been available in 1960.

The 351W engine only powered the Continental Mark VI for a single model year, in 1980; however, the model remained on the market for three further years afterward, during which it was powered by another small-block V8 from the Windsor family: the 302 (5.0-liter) variant.

Sources:
Ford
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The Henry Ford Museum
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IMDb