Earlier in 2025, a homegrown V-10-swapped Lincoln Continental brought the 2003 Ford 427 concept to life. Building it was easier said than done, but the work that went into it was well worth it: The hot-rodded sedan looks quick and sounds amazing. Now, we know exactly how much horsepower is roasting its rear tires.
Build It Yourself, the YouTube channel that tackled the project, recently put its Continental on a dyno. We (and, in fairness, they, too) didn’t know what to expect because putting together the engine required a great deal of fabrication. The 10-cylinder block is from a Ford Super Duty truck, but the Mustang-sourced heads had to be cut and welded back together in order to fit. There’s a custom exhaust system, as you’d expect, and the V-10 spins the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission from a Mustang. This was truly a huge project.
The numbers are in: The 40-valve V-10-swapped Lincoln Continental develops about 495 horsepower at 6,700 rpm and 402 pound-feet of torque at 6,000 rpm. Those are dyno numbers, so there’s no need to factor in drivetrain losses; They correspond to the power measured at the wheels. Build It Yourself notes that the engine’s output checks in at approximately 600 horsepower and 490 pound-feet at the crank if you account for an 18% drivetrain loss, which it claims isn’t unusual for a manual Mustang.
For context, the most powerful engine that Lincoln made available on the last-generation Continental was a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter V-6. It developed 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. And, the Ford 427 concept unveiled at the 2003 Detroit auto show posted figures of 590 and 509, respectively.
Rebuilding an engine is a major undertaking. Designing and building an engine from scratch, like Build It Yourself did, is even more impressive. That it runs well, easily revs to 7,500 rpm, and makes good power is a testament to the quality of the work that went into this project. And, the builders aren’t calling it a day: They’re planning on making a handful of improvements and putting it back on a dyno for a second run.
That thing is impressive. I’m wondering how those welded heads will hold up in the long term, but they probably have enough reason at this point to look into custom castings
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