New Ford Flat Plane V8

[Ben Whittle]

That's the question Im struggling with, since the crank still has a lot of counterweight there is no real advantage weight wise.
Sound, yes.
Exhaust manifold packaging might be another as 1&3/2&4 can be paired on each bank. ( the 'old' 4 cyl pairs 1&4/2&3 ).

Thumbnail, This 'might' be the firing order for the Ford 180° engine on RHS of dwg, there are several other options.

And why bother at all if the A52XS can make more peak power and torque.

Was this literally just an experiment?

 

[Mark Hamstra]

Flat cranks are not just about maximizing power and torque. There is some gain to be had there from better exhaust tuning, but mostly flat-crank engines have been about better responsiveness. At least that was the case when Ferrari and some other manufactures were making such engines. With its different firing order and substantial counterweights (not to mention very long stroke for a flat-crank engine), the Ford is something of an oddity.