

With more than 500 hp deriving from a 5.2-liter flat-plane crank V-8, Ford promises the new GT350 will be the best performing Mustang ever made. And with Dodge having unleashed the Challenger Hellcat and Chevy the Camaro Z/28, the GT350 needs to deliver.

In reality the GT350 will be more refined than the Hellcat, and yet not as track-focused as the Z/28. It may line up closer in numbers to that of the Camaro ZL1. While we won't know for a while how well the GT350 drives, Ford has already published a video showcasing how the car sounds: the results, as you can hear in the video above, are pretty darn impressive.

Cross plane crank vs. flat plane crank

But what is a “flat-plane crankshaft?” Imagine a see-through version of a typical V-8 engine: The pistons move in a stair-step fashion — alternating power strokes in a way that maximizes the engine’s smoothness; the traditional V-8 burble comes from exhaust pulses created by so-called cross-plane crankshafts.

In a V-8 with a flat-plane crankshaft, a pair of pistons raise and lower in concert, like two four-cylinder engine banks bolted together. It’s called a flat plane because the connecting rods of the pistons lie 180 degrees from each other, rather than being offset 90 degrees as in a cross-plane.



Flat-plane cranks fell out of favor because the firing order creates harsh vibrations that have to be dulled with special weights or more expensive engine parts. Yet a flat-plane V-8 can rev higher and produce more power pound-for-pound, which is why it’s usually chosen for racing machines and modern supercars; every Ferrari V-8 is a flat-plane design.

With the 2015 Mustang GT's engine note proving to be considerably quieter than previous GTs, and the Ecoboost four-banger using BMW-style trickery to pump a more evocative soundtrack through the speakers, the GT350 appears to be the antidote we've been waiting for. Detroit never sounded so good.