From the famous Coyote V8 to the mighty 428 Super Cobra Jet, we’re diving into the best engines that ever powered the Ford Mustang.

Since its 1960s debut, the Ford Mustang has been one of America's most iconic cars, with its engine as its big selling point. For over half a century, Ford has broadly upgraded the muscle car’s engines, giving the impressive performance figures suitable for either daily driving or motorsport scenarios.

From classic V8s to modern-day turbocharged powertrains, the Mustang has seen it all. To this day, the Ford Mustang continues to redefine driving freedom with its tech and advanced engines. We’ll take a closer look at some of the best Ford Mustang engines ever made, exploring their specifications, performance, and impact on the automotive industry.

Here are 10 of the best Ford Mustang engines of all time.

Based on the FE-series V8s introduced in 1958 for Thunderbirds and Edsels, Ford’s midsize FE engine gave the relatively lightweight Mustang a serious spring in its step.

And thanks to Ford's midsize FE engine family, the Mustang was able to use a larger-displacement engine without having to cram in the much heavier, larger-dimension MEL-family big-block.

The brand used this engine from the 1967 Mustang, where it churned out 320 horsepower. Two versions of the engines came in 1968, which included a 325-horsepower 427-lb-ft of torque version for the GT.

Bob Tasca, a prominent dealer and drag racer, placed a 428 Police Interceptor engine in his Mustang because he didn't like the Mustang’s 390 engine. Surprisingly, it was that small idea that led to the development of the 428 Cobra Jet engine.

Ford decided to use the powerful big block in direct response to other large displacement engines that Mopar and Chevrolet sold at the time. Thus, this engine expanded on the police-engine base with distinctive heads and intake manifold, a stronger rotating assembly, and a larger carburetor.

Although the engine actually produced more than 400 horsepower, the official output was 335 horsepower. Still, when combined with the 440 lb-ft of torque, the 428 Cobra Jet became one of the most powerful Mustang engines of the time.

RELATED: How The Ford Mustang Only Got Meaner From The Cobra Jet To The New Coyote V8

Debuted back in 2011, the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 has been a Mustang enthusiast’s favorite for years. Not only does it have a kick-ass design, but it churns out an excellent power output, which is 412 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque.

Unlike the other more exclusive powertrains, the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 is available on both the Mustang GT and the ever-so-famous Shelby GT350. With this new 5.0-liter, the Mustang GT squared up boldly against the comparably sized BMW M3, with many gearheads finding the Mustang better.

The 289 HiPo is one of the Mustang’s oldest engines. The 289 "HiPo" engine, known by its "K" engine code, was the Mustang's first high-performance engine.

Originally introduced in the Fairlane, the 289 HiPo engine featured a solid-lifter camshaft, higher-flowing exhaust manifolds, an Autolite four-barrel carb, and a dual-point automatic advance distributor. And with thicker main bearing caps, sturdier connecting rods, and a crankshaft with high nodularity, it was tougher all around.

This design and setup allowed this high-performance engine to deliver 271 horsepower, which helped establish the Mustang as a serious performance car in the mid-1960s.

Designed to compete with the Mopar Hemi engine in NASCAR racing, Ford launched the Boss 429 engine in 1969.

Although power was originally rated at 375 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, the Boss 429 could easily churn out 500 horsepower. Some people also modified the engine to produce up to 600 horsepower. To meet emissions regulations, Ford also fitted a mild cam, a smog pump, and a smaller carburetor.

To give the Mustang a competitive advantage for the SCCA Trans-Am road racing series, Ford dove into its mechanical garden and picked out the best ingredients for the Boss 302 engine. The Windsor block (with four-bolt mains) served as its base, and also featured Cleveland heads with offset valve designs.

The result wasn’t just an engine that could make between 210 and 345 horsepower (depending on the year and configuration), but also one that made those output figures while fulfilling class engine-displacement guidelines.

With an output of 662 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 631 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, the 5.8-liter Supercharged V8 is not only the most powerful Mustang engine produced but also the most powerful production V8 ever made.

The Eaton's 2.3-liter, four-lobe, high-helix supercharger delivers a steady feed of pressurized air to the 5.8-liter engine, all with daily-driver-level refinement to the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

While other muscle car engines underwent immediate power drops in the early '70s, the Mustang continued to be at the top of the obviously dwindling list of factory performers, thanks to the Q-code 351 Cleveland engine’s unwavering power.

What made the 351 engine so special? Well, although it had less compression, it used a high-lift, hydraulic camshaft, and open-chamber 4V heads. It was also available in both small-block and big-block configurations, making it one of the most versatile Mustang engines.

In 1971, the 351 Q-code Cobra Jet produced 280 horsepower, and 266 horsepower the following year, with strong torque figures in both years.

When the 4.6-liter OHC Modular V8 engine debuted in the 1996 Mustang GT, it wasn’t everyone’s favorite. It only made 215 horsepower at 4,400 rpm, which wasn’t as impressive as the Corvette, which produced 405 horsepower, or the Impala SS, which made a respectable 260 horsepower.

Everything changed with the 2003 Cobra, which incorporated an Eaton supercharger. This setup gave the Mustang SVT Cobra up to 390 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 390 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why Gearheads Should Love This Ford Mustang Boss 351 Widebody

While not as powerful as some of the other engines on this list, the 3.7-liter V6 is a reliable and fuel-efficient option for the Mustang enthusiasts on a budget. In 2011, the 3.7-liter Cyclone V6 replaced the 4.0-liter Cologne V6 as the default power plant in the Ford Mustang. Along with its fresh architecture, the 3.7-liter Duratec has a cast aluminum alloy cylinder block.

But don’t let the fuel efficiency credentials fool you. This 3.7-liter V6 still kicks out an amazing 300 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 280 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, enough to put a smile on any gearhead’s face.

Wilfred Nkhwazi is a screenwriter, actor, and sports car enthusiast from Blantyre, Malawi. He has written 2 feature films and a thriller trilogy. Wilfred holds an associate degree in Electric Car Technology and spends a lot of his time writing for hotcars.com, penning down fast whips, celebrity collections, and everything else in between. When he isn't writing, he loves to take long drives around the city, make music, and drink hot chocolate.