According to a few reports and some whispers from insiders at Ford, the Blue Oval is planning to send off the current generation F-150 with another Raptor version, this time fitted with the V8 from the new Shelby Mustang GT500.
Ford snapped necks when it decided to go from a V8 as seen in the first generation Raptor to the 3.5-Liter V6. Sure, the V6 did have its merits — it was light, powerful and came with mountains of torque. But nothing beats the roar of a V8, especially while flying through the desert and displacing exorbitant amounts of sand.
If true, this Raptor will get a supercharged 5.2-Liter V8, good for more than 700 horsepower. A 10-speed transmission, which is now the standard for most of Ford’s trucks, will help send all that power to the wheels.
As for pricing, Ford could keep the current Raptor’s price tag which is around $55,000, though reports suggest the extra power and prestige from the GT500’s V8 will send that number north of $70,000. It’s a steep price to pay for a pickup truck, but when you think of the capabilities this off-road monster will command, it makes more sense. Then again, it’ll probably be worth it for the sound alone.
It all works out timing wise, seeing as how Ram is planning on stuffing a 700-horsepower Hellcat engine in the Rebel TRX pickup for 2020. Ford’s target launch period is somewhere around 2020 or 2021.
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