10/02/2025
Back in the 1980s, Toyota launched its secret “Project F1,” committing nearly $1 billion and a team of 1,400 engineers, 60 designers, and 2,300 technicians.
After six years, over 450 prototype cars and 900 test engines later, they unveiled the 1989 Lexus LS 400, powered by the new 1UZ-FE V8.
This all-aluminum, quad-cam, 32-valve engine featured a forged steel crank and six cross-bolted main caps, setting a benchmark for smoothness and durability in a production car.
Toyota didn’t stop at the road. Partnering with Hamilton Standard, they turned the 1UZ-FE into the FV2400-2TC, a 360 hp twin-turbo V8 with full FADEC controls.
In 1997, the FAA granted production certification for this powerplant to fly four-seat propeller aircraft, a remarkable first for a car-derived engine design.
The FV2400-2TC even flew in Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites TAA-1 prototype, proving its airworthiness. But a shrinking general aviation market, and other niche-project setbacks, led Toyota to quietly shelve the program before it ever reached mass production.
Today the 1UZ-FE endures in classic Lexus models as one of the most reliable V8s ever built, and carries the unique distinction of being certified to fly.
For more engineering legends and deep dives into projects like this, check out our blog (link in bio).
