If the 427’s overhead cam contrast was too huge for a small GT40, it was perfect for NASCAR cars’ large engine bays, as well as open-top drag racing applications. Although overhead camshafts—the camshafts located in the cylinder heads of an engine—dominate modern engine design, they were the latest technology in the mid-1960s, especially from a domestic automaker.
The participation of the overhead cam (nicknamed “Cammer”) 427 in NASCAR racing was met with stiff resistance. In 1964, NASCAR president Bill France denied Ford’s request to compete with the new engine. Since Ford desperately needed a way to stay competitive against Chrysler’s new 426-cubic-inch engine with hemispherical (Hemi) combustion chambers, it went with the development of the Cammer anyway.
Later that year, NASCAR banned all “special racing engines,” which included not only Ford’s Cammer, but also the Chrysler Hemi. In response, Chrysler effectively pulled out of NASCAR racing for a period of time, but Ford was more accepting of the edict and continued to race with their traditional version of the 427. This was the same type of engine that many examples of their cars used. GT40 and the Shelby Cobras from the era.
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