The Vulcan V6 engine was developed as part of Ford's plan to produce a successor to their mid-size LTD and Marquis sedans and wagons.

As work progressed, the future car's size and weight increased to the point where a V6 of 2.8 L was added to the powertrain options.

[1]: 54, 55  Neither of Ford's existing V6 engines were appropriate for this use; their 3.8 L Essex V6 was too wide and produced excessive vibration, while their 2.8 L Cologne V6 was too large and heavy.

The engine was to develop no less than 130 hp (97 kW), travel 7,500 mi (12,100 km) before requiring an oil change, go 100,000 mi (161,000 km) before requiring major maintenance, run for five minutes after a major cooling system failure, and offer a "limp home" mode.

The intake, for instance, was engineered with aesthetics in mind, though the design had the side effect of allowing it to flow more air.

[1]: 119  In their efforts to produce a lightweight block, Ford's engineers had designed a very rigid structure whose walls had been made very thin, which caused the cracking.

These were driven approximately 100,000 mi (161,000 km), roughly twice the usual test distance, and evaluated in both hot and cold environments.

Although it shared the Vulcan V6's general layout, 60° cylinder bank angle, bore, stroke, bore spacing, and a few minor components, the SHO V6 was an engine designed and built by Yamaha with new DOHC cylinder heads and a redesigned, strengthened engine block.

[9] Over the course of its production life the engine received many internal upgrades, including roller lifters (1992), a five counterweight crankshaft (1995), a reinforced block (1995, 2002), and longer head bolts (1999) among other changes.