The Giant Mercury Coupe Secretly Packing Lincoln's 460 V8

A 460-cubic-inch V8—born in Lincoln and later used widely—was one of Ford’s unlikely survivors from an era when big engines were losing their “muscle car” bragging rights. As emissions rules and the shift from gross to SAE net ratings squeezed horsepower figures in the early 1970s, the numbers on paper for large engines fell sharply. Introduced for 1968 in the Continental Mark III at 365 hp gross through 1971, the 460 was expanded beyond Lincoln by 1972 and recalibrated for the new emissions environment, including a lower compression ratio. Although its rated output dropped—from the low-200-hp range under SAE net to about 197 hp in some 1977 applications—it kept strong torque because it remained a huge 7.5-liter overhead-valve V8.