R125 Mustang Honors 125 Years Of Ford Racing With Pushrod Power

At this year’s SEMA Show, Ford is back with a bigger presence, and the company’s hot-rodding division, Ford Racing, is showcasing its crate engines with several project builds. A significant part of this year’s push is a focus on its heritage pushrod engines, and the poster child for its racing history is the Ford Racing R125 Mustang, a 1966 restomod powered by its 360-horsepower, 347-cube crate engine.

Built to celebrate 125 years of Ford racing heritage, the R125 Mustang connects the company’s earliest competition efforts with the modern performance parts and technology available to enthusiasts today. The classic fastback serves as a rolling showcase for Ford Racing Parts, combining traditional small-block Ford power with modern fuel injection and a five-speed transmission while retaining the classic Mustang lines.

The R125 name calls back to 1901, when Henry Ford drove his Sweepstakes race car to an upset victory over Alexander Winton, one of the country’s best-known racers at the time. That victory helped establish Ford’s engineering credentials and attract the financial backing that eventually led to the formation of Ford Motor Company. More than a century later, Ford Racing is using the anniversary to celebrate that competitive foundation and demonstrate how its racing heritage continues to influence the parts enthusiasts can put to work in their own projects.

“This build is very personal. We’re starting with one of the most recognizable canvases in automotive history, a 1966 Mustang fastback,” Matt Simpson, Executive Director of Ford Customization, said. “We call it the R125, and the name is intentional. It celebrates Ford Racing’s 125th anniversary, dating back to when Henry Ford drove the Sweepstakes race car to an upset victory in 1901.”

Pushrod Power

Under the hood, the R125 packs the aforementioned Ford Racing 347 stroker crate engine rated at 360 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. The combination starts with a modern-production 8.2-inch-deck-height 302 Boss block, pairing that familiar small-block architecture with aluminum cylinder heads and an Edelbrock Pro-Flo electronic fuel-injection system.

“All of our current heritage engines use brand-new components produced with brand-new tooling. The blocks are designed around what Ford originally developed. Still, we’ve applied lessons learned from NASCAR and other racing programs to update the castings,” Michael Goodwin, Product Planner at Ford Racing Parts, said. “This block utilizes the 302 Boss architecture, aluminum cylinder heads, and an Edelbrock Pro-Flo electronic fuel-injection system. It gives you the character you’d expect from that small-block combination, with updates that improve drivability.”

The engine also showcases Ford Racing Parts’ attention to the details that make a performance build both functional and distinctive. Among those components are two-piece valve covers featuring a patented design with interchangeable top plates, captured O-ring seals, and integrated spark plug wire looms. Beyond their appearance, the covers demonstrate how Ford Racing Parts is still delivering gear for classic powerplants.

Power reaches the rear wheels through a TREMEC TKX five-speed manual transmission. Its compact dimensions make it a natural fit for a classic Mustang, while its updated design delivers smoother shifting and improved durability compared with the earlier TREMEC TKO. The installation required minimal floorpan modifications, reinforcing the appeal of this combination for builders who want modern performance without extensive chassis surgery.

Crate Expectations

The R125 also serves as a reminder that Ford Racing’s heritage engine catalog stretches well beyond this particular 347. The lineup ranges from traditional 302 combinations to 572-cubic-inch big-block powerplants, offering builders a broad selection of displacement and horsepower options. By putting the 347-powered Mustang front and center at SEMA, Ford is bringing renewed attention to a segment of its performance business that still appeals to lots of enthusiasts.

“We wanted to bring the focus back to those engines and let the world know that we’re still in this business, and we’re back in it better than ever,” Goodwin added. “We have everything from a basic 302 all the way up to a 572-cubic-inch big-block in the catalog, with a wide range of horsepower levels. That quality runs throughout the entire heritage-engine lineup.” 

For Ford Racing, the R125 is just one of the many builds in Las Vegas showcasing Blue Oval performance. Stand by for more Ford news when the 2026 SEMA Show opens tomorrow.