If the overhead cam variation of the 427 was too bulky for the slinky GT40, then it was just perfect for the large engine bays of NASCAR stock cars, as well as exposed drag racing applications. Although overhead camshafts — camshafts contained within the engine’s cylinder heads — dominate modern engine design, it was cutting edge technology in the mid-1960s, especially from a domestic automaker.
The overhead cam (nicknamed the “Cammer”) 427’s participation in NASCAR racing was met with extreme resistance. In 1964, NASCAR head honcho Bill France turned down Ford’s request to compete with the new motor. Since Ford desperately needed a method to stay competitive against Chrysler’s new 426 cubic inch engine with hemispherical combustion chambers (the Hemi), it forged on with developing 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 retaliation, Chrysler actually withdrew from NASCAR racing for a period of time, but Ford was more accepting of the edict and continued to race with its conventional pushrod version of the 427. This was the same engine type that powered many examples of the GT40 and Shelby Cobras of the era.
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