DIY Heroes Rig Ford Concept V10 to Work in a Lincoln Continental

In 2003, Ford revealed a super sedan that would have dominated everything else on the road if it had reached production. It was called the 427 Concept because of its 427-cubic-inch, four-valve V10 that made 590 horsepower and 506 lb-ft of torque. There wouldn’t be another V10-powered sedan until years later when the Audi RS6 debuted, so Ford was ahead of its time. Sadly, the Blue Oval never went forward with the car, which is why two DIYers from the Build It Yourself YouTube channel decided to make their own out of a wrecked Lincoln Continental and a Ford V10 with homemade heads to honor the concept engine of yore.

While Ford made several concept cars with the four-valve V10 over time, it eventually scrapped the engine. That said, it made a ton of two and three-valve versions with a smaller displacement and much less power for Super Duty pickup trucks and Excursion SUVs. That’s where this duo started by taking an existing three-valve V10, removing the cylinder heads, and replacing them with custom-fabricated four-valve units made from Shelby Cobra V8s. They then took it a few steps further and completely built the bottom end, ported the heads, upgraded the valves and valve springs, and made custom camshafts, all of which should let the V10 rev to 8,000 rpm. Two years ago, they got the engine working and had a real-life four-valve Ford V10.

Once they’d built the engine, they had to figure out what to do with it. Naturally, they decided to mimic what Ford did 23 years ago and build a luxurious super sedan. Ford doesn’t make sedans anymore, so they bought a wrecked tenth-generation Lincoln Continental. It’s a good luxury vehicle, but it’s not the best basis for a performance car given its front-wheel drive setup and transverse engine layout. They changed it by ripping out the front and rear subframes, using those from an S550 Mustang, and converting it to rear-wheel drive. They also ditched the Conti’s six-speed automatic transmission for a six-speed manual.

But they kept most of the body and interior stock, so it looks like a regular Continental—or, it will once it’s put back together. Starting that deafening V10 will surely shock everybody around because who would expect such a ruckus to come from a boring Lincoln? It’s also quick. In-gear pulls look mighty, even when revving to its electronically limited 6,500 rpm. Once it can use its full rev range, it should be frightening.

The build isn’t finished, and there’s still a lot of fine-tuning and bodywork left to do. They haven’t even dyno’d the engine or the car yet, so they don’t know how much power it’s making at the crank or at the wheels. But once it’s done, these two enthusiasts will have made good on Ford’s tease from 2003, creating the ultimate V10-powered, grand-touring American super sedan.

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