NORFOLK, Va., June 10, 2003 - Underneath the hood of the first all-new 2004 Ford F-150 that rolled off the line today at Norfolk Assembly Plant was another special milestone of Ford’s truck leadership – the roar of Ford Motor Company’s 100 millionth V-8 engine.

A new 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton™ V-8 engine, produced on April 29th at the Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, Ont., was used to commemorate the occasion and the more than 70 years since Ford’s first mass-produced V-8 was built in 1932. The powerful new engine will be optional equipment on all 2004 Ford F-150s.

“As we prepare to celebrate Ford’s 100th anniversary in less than a week, it is quite fitting that this milestone engine is placed in the very first 2004 Ford F-150,” said Roman Krygier, Ford group vice president, Global Manufacturing and Quality. “Ford’s rich heritage and legendary list of V-8 engines will continue with production of the new Triton V-8.”

The new 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton V-8 will give the all-new 2004 Ford F-150 300 peak horsepower and 365 foot-pounds of torque – significant improvements over the previous award-winning 5.4-liter Triton.

Henry Ford revolutionized the auto industry with the moving assembly line in 1914 and again when he introduced the industry’s first affordable, mass-produced V-8 engine in 1932. The engine featured an innovative “flathead” configuration – a side-valve engine made possible by industry-first engine block casting techniques developed by Ford engineers.