Why Is The Ford 6.7 Power Stroke Diesel Engine Called 'Scorpion'?

It's always interesting how things get their names. Sometimes, names come from very personal places, but other times, a name is given simply because it sounds cool. Then, of course, there are crowdsourced names, which is how a submarine ended up being called Boaty McBoatface. For an example, let's look at the 6.7-liter Power Stroke Turbo Diesel V8 engine from Ford, which debuted with the 2011 Super Duty truck lineup. You might be thinking that something of this size that can generate up to 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque probably has a name like "Beast" or "Monster," but its actual moniker is Scorpion.

A lot of places claim that the reason this engine is called Scorpion is because of the unique design of the turbocharger. Exhaust manifolds are typically on the outboard, but here, they're in the valley of the engine. The intake ports are what's on the outboard. While this configuration reflects the look of a scorpion, it was actually designed with the Scorpion name already in place, rather than figuring out a name afterward. The real reason it's called Scorpion is far simpler.

Adam Gryglak was the lead engineering manager on the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 project for Ford. When coming up with a codename for the project, he landed on taking inspiration from one of his favorite bands, Scorpions. Yes, the German hard rock band behind hits like "Rock Me Like a Hurricane" and "Wind of Change" served as the chief inspiration for the naming of a Ford turbocharged diesel V8 engine. Luckily, it also happens to be a name that reflects the design of the final product.

While the naming for the Ford Scorpion came about in a personal, fun way, the name for General Motors' latest turbodiesel V8 engine to compete with it was anything but that. Recently, GM announced a new 8.3-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 engine, bigger than anything that Ford or Ram have to offer. This is a significant displacement increase from the previous 6.6-liter, and it can generate a whopping 555 hp and 1,230 lb-ft of torque. In a very canny bit of branding, GM has opted to give this engine the name Mongoose, and no, it's not named after the BMX bike brand.

Mongooses are small mammals that have long, cat-like bodies that are primarily found in Africa, though they can be found in southern Asia and southern Europe as well. There are many different kinds of mongooses, and they're closely related to the meerkat. What's important about mongooses though is what they eat. Some mongoose species, such as the banded mongoose, yellow mongoose, and dwarf mongoose, that are primarily insectivores, and of course, among those insects is the scorpion.

GM is using the Mongoose name to pointedly call out Ford as its prey that it'll attack and consume it in the turbodiesel V8 marketplace. The company isn't being subtle about it either. The announcement commercial for the Mongoose engine is entirely focused on a mongoose hunting a scorpion. What began as a fun nod to one guy's favorite band is now a branding war between two rival American automakers.