What’s this? According to information from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Ford filed a new trademark for the name “Megazilla” — a name that could adorn a new crate engine or factory powertrain for the automaker’s vehicles. The keyword here is could: As we’ve covered with past trademarks, filing a name doesn’t necessarily mean we will see it used anytime soon. With all the engine buzz swirling around Ford’s trucks lately, though, it’s a fun thought exercise at least.
So, what exactly could we be looking at?
Ford Authority pointed out the company’s recent trademark application and provided some insight on where we could see it pop up. Specifically, the USPTO filing says that Megazilla is a mark covering “crate motors, namely, electric motors and internal combustion engines for automobiles; and powertrains for automobiles.”
These marks usually contain that sort of boilerplate language so the corporation filing it is covered, whatever direction they decide to take. If Ford decides to take “Megazilla” in any direction at all, that is. Manufacturers, for their part, will not comment on future product plans, so we can only speculate on where this name may end up. From here on, take the following points with the appropriate amount of salt.
Let’s cover what you could argue is the most “obvious” link: Ford’s 7.3-liter “Godzilla” V-8. It’s one of the Blue Oval’s most recent powertrains that’s currently in service throughout its Super Duty truck lineup. In stock form, it produces 430 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. No doubt, that’s a decent output. It’s competitive with the 410 hp/429 lb-ft, 6.4-liter Hemi Ram uses in their heavy-duty trucks, as well as GM’s 401 hp/464 lb-ft, 6.6-liter gas V-8.
Maybe a supercharged Godzilla?
With that much displacement, though, it seems like there’s plenty of headroom to push Godzilla even further. Ford Performance could certainly play into that Megazilla name by beefing up that 7.3L even further. Perhaps, as the company’s done with the F-150 Raptor R, we could see a supercharged version of this engine with a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger? Whipple calibrated its Gen 5 twin-screw supercharer and intercooler kit “alongside Ford”, so it would make some sense to incorporate this a crate motor option, or even in a factory truck.
Whipple says that kit boosts the Godzilla up to 700 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque — two numbers that are appropriately beefy for a “Megazilla” project. The company also says that it achieved those figures with only 10 psi of boost, so it once again seems like there’s even more headroom for this engine.
Again, this is just a theory. We’re simply talking about a name at this point, so it’s possible (likely, even) that Ford may have a completely different idea here.
That said, in my opinion, having something like a Ford Super Duty Tremor R with 700-ish supercharged horsepower — a heavy-duty version of the Raptor R — would be pretty freaking sweet. I mean, talk about an earthquake. Or, at the very least, folks could have a crate motor option through the Ford Performance catalog to soup up their Super Duty if Ford puts a Megazilla into production as a more powerful V-8 variant to the Godzilla.
Or…perhaps an electrified powertrain?
For the time being, Ford seems keen to cater toward the internal combustion market. We see that with the 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 F-150 Raptor R and indeed the new Mustang, which does not bring electrification to the table. You still get the good old 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 there, so the company is not giving up on what so many of its customers want just yet.
However, we need to address the “electric motors” part of Ford’s Megazilla trademark document. Whether you’re a particular fan or not, Ford has also expanded its hybrid and full EV offerings, including the Ford F-150 PowerBoost and the Lightning. The automaker also released the “Eluminator” as its first electric crate motor, packing 480 horsepower and 634 lb-ft of torque.
It’s possible — although not likely at this point, given Ford’s current lineup and recent engine rumors — that “Megazilla” could mean an electrified Godzilla, rather than a supercharged one. Automakers like Stellantis have taken to boosting performance plug-in hybrid variants to kill both the efficiency and performance birds with a single stone. Some truck buyers have also expressed their relative willingness to pull the trigger on a hybridized heavy-duty truck over a purely electric option. So, we can’t discount the chance (however remote) that Ford could split the difference with an electrified Super Duty at some point.
As frustrating as it may be for me to hedge like this, nothing is set in stone until Ford actually comes forward and makes an announcement. We will keep an eye out for any movement on that front and post updates when we have more to digest.
