Editing Ford FE engine (section)

===== Road and track racing =====
In 1963, the 427 Galaxies dominated NASCAR primarily because in January 1963 G.M. told its divisions to get out of racing. Tiny Lund won the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500, with 427s finishing first through fifth. Ford won 23 races to Plymouth's 19. The Plymouths earned all their victories on the short tracks while Ford dominated the super speedways, Chevrolet finished with eight wins and Pontiac had four.

In 1964, Ford had their best season ever, with 30 wins. Dodge was second with 14, while Plymouth had 12. Adding the five wins that Mercury had, the 427 had a total of 35 NASCAR Grand National wins for the 1964 season. Fred Lorenzen won the Atlanta 500 and proceeded to beat Dodges and Plymouths, which were using 426 Hemi engines, in six of the next seven races. Ford was using the high-riser intake and matching heads, which were allowed by NASCAR for one season (1964).

In 1965, NASCAR banned Ford's high-riser version of the engine, claiming they did not fit under "stock" hoods. Chrysler's 426 Hemi was banned as well, returning in 1966 after a de-tuned version was installed in a production vehicle that year. For the 1965 season, Ford developed its own version of a hemi-chambered engine, the 427 [[Overhead camshaft#Single overhead camshaft|single overhead cam (SOHC)]]  "Cammer" which used a single chain-driven overhead camshaft per head to operate the valves in its hemi. NASCAR relegated the engine to the fullsize Galaxie. Then Ford developed the medium-riser intake and head, which fit under stock hoods and was accepted by NASCAR. Ned Jarrett, driving for Ford, was the 1965 Grand National champion and Ford won the NASCAR crown.

Also in 1965, Ford and [[Carroll Shelby]] began production of a new and improved [[AC Cobra|Cobra]] using a {{convert|427|cuin|L|0}} FE side-oiler in place of the original's {{cvt|289|cuin|L|1}} [[Ford Windsor engine#289 "HiPo" (K-code)|Windsor small-block]]. A new chassis was built enlarging 3" main tubing to 4", with [[coil spring]]s all around. The new car also had wide fenders and a larger radiator opening. The S/C (for semi-competition) "street" engine was rated at {{cvt|425|bhp|kW|0}}, which provided a top speed of {{cvt|164|mph|km/h|0}}, and the competition version (csx 6000) {{cvt|485|bhp|kW|0}} with a top speed of {{cvt|185|mi/h|km/h}}. Cobra Mark III production began on 1 January 1965, and was used for racing into the 1970s. An original S/C sold in 2011 for US$1.5 million, making it one of the most valuable Cobra variants.<ref name="Supercars.net">{{Cite news|url=http://www.supercars.net/cars/5175.html|title=1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C|access-date=2011-02-01|work=Supercars.net}}</ref>

In 1966, the 427 cubic inch [[Ford GT40#Mk II|Ford GT40 Mk II]] dominated the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] race, with a one-two-three result.

In 1967, [[Parnelli Jones]], in a [[Holman Moody|Holman-Moody]] prepped Fairlane, won the season-opening [[Riverside 500]] road race. Then, [[Mario Andretti]] captured the [[Daytona 500]] in a Fairlane, with Fred Lorenzen a close second in his Holman-Moody Ford.  The FE again powered the 24 Hours of Le Mans winner. In 1968, the rules of the race were changed, limiting displacement to 302 cubic inches under certain circumstances. Ford won the following two years using its [[Ford Windsor engine|Ford Windsor]] smallblock in the GT40.

Ford's racing partner, privately owned Holman-Moody, also developed a version of the FE for the [[Can-Am]] racing series. It used factory-supplied tunnel port heads, a mechanical fuel injection system mounted on a crossram intake manifold, and a revised dry sump oiling system, but met with only limited success.