The Shocking Truth Behind FORD'S Banned 427 Engine!

"A Little History
The Cammer – Ford's Answer to the Hemi

The CammerIn the heyday of the muscle car, very few of the racing engines coming out of the Motor City rivaled Ford's 427 CID SOHC V8 engine, otherwise known as the ""Cammer."" When equipped with dual four-barrel carburetors, the legendary powerhouse generated a prodigious 657 horsepower. Even when a single four-barrel carburetor was employed, the engine could still generate 616 horsepower. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that this big, powerful engine often appears on lists of the top ten engines of all time.

The development of the Cammer was inspired by Richard Petty's stunning upset in the 1964 Daytona 500Opens a new window in a Plymouth powered by Chrysler's 426 Hemi. The sudden emergence of the Hemi engine shook things up in the Ford racing community. Ford's 427 Hi-riser engine had once reigned supreme, winning race after race before the Petty upset.

Concept to Reality in Just 3 Months

Ford was quick to respond to the new threat posed by Chrysler's powerful Hemi power plant. Ford's modification of the Hi-riser engine proceeded from the drawing board to reality in less than three months.

Ford then went to NASCAR seeking approval for its new single overhead cam design. According to a February 23, 1964, article in the Daytona Beach Morning Journal, NASCAR head Bill France nixed the idea. Some speculated that he saw overhead cam engines as better suited to European racecourses. Clearly, he did not want them America's Grand National stock car circuit.

The engine had quickly generated its share of controversy. In fact, NASCAR's pre-emptive strike was decisive. The organization banned the engine before it ever appeared in a NASCAR event."