Yamaha took the straight-six engine from a Toyota Crown luxury sedan, gave it a new DOHC head and a trio of two-barrel Solex carburetors, and shoehorned everything in the 2000 GT, Toyota’s halo car of the 1960s. Yamaha also developed the quick-revving 4.8-liter V8 engine in the Lexus LFA, one of the best-sounding gasoline mills of all time.
But now, Toyota has commissioned Yamaha to create a 5.0-liter V8 engine they say is “fueled entirely by hydrogen.” Specifically, we’re talking about the V8 engine from the Lexus RC F, which pumps out 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque in stock form. “Hydrogen engines house the potential to be carbon-neutral while keeping our passion for the internal combustion engine alive at the same time,” said Yoshihiro Hidaka, President of Yamaha Motor.
To accommodate hydrogen fuel, Yamaha modified the injectors, cylinder heads, intake manifold, and other internals of the 5.0-liter V8. Yamaha claims an impressive output of 450 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, good enough to merit attention.