Revenge of the V8: Is Ford Working on a GT500-Powered Raptor with 700+HP?
By any definition, the current Ford Raptor is an incredible vehicle, capable of doing things off road that are unprecedented for production vehicles. The constant demand for them shows that Ford's formula is working quite well. However, based on public opinion there are plenty of people who prefer the V8 powerplant of the first generation Raptor to the twin-turbo V6 in the current model.
If a report published by Car & Driver turns out to be true, it seems the Raptor may indeed be going back to V8 power in the future. Only this wouldn't be just any old V8, it would be the supercharged 5.2L V8 from the 2020 Shelby GT500. That's right, the one that's promised to make over 700hp once its final specs are confirmed.
According to the article, sources at Ford have said the company is planning to use the GT500's blown V8 in the Raptor to not only help send out the current gen truck with a bang, but to fight the oft-rumored Hellcat-powered off-roader that RAM is working on.
While it should be noted that none of this info is official, the article suggests the hot rod Raptor would go on sale with a small production run no earlier than the end of 2020, and that it would likely priced at over $70,000. While that's certainly not cheap, given the popularity of the current truck, it's hard to not see buyers lining up for them.
With nearly 10 years gone since the original F-150 Raptor debuted, the model has since become one of Ford's most beloved enthusiast products. Should they go a little crazy and drop in the motor from the GT500, things are about to get pretty fun. Stay tuned.
