High-output Ford Ranger Raptor V8 already mooted

Monday, 17 February 2020

Aussie tuning outfit Tickford reckons it will be able to push the rumoured Ford Ranger Raptor V8 above and beyond 500kW and 800Nm.

Talking to CarsGuide, Tickford group commercial director, Andrew Philpott, said the company can use its Mustang GT tuning packages on the V8-powered Ranger Raptor.

These include a 2.65-litre Roush TVS supercharger, retuned ECU, upgraded air intake and more efficient cooling. Called the Supercharger Power Pack - Stage 1, buyers will part with around AU$18k (NZ$18,771) to crank output to a claimed 529kW/828Nm.

The existing twin-turbocharged diesel engine could be shunted aside for a 500kW V8.

'We've supercharged Mustangs of course, and we supercharged F-150s, so we've had people buy V8s purely with the intent of coming here, us putting a Roush supercharger on it,' he told CarsGuide.

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As long as the Raptor retains its ability to leave terra firma, we don't care what's powering it. Although a V8 bark would be nice!

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'There will be people who say 'absolutely, I want the best Ranger I can get, and if I can make it more power, why not?''

However, two big things need to happen before the super ute become reality.

One is that there needs to be enough customer demand to justify Tickford tweaking its kits to work with the Ranger Raptor, while the other is that Ford needs to actually build such a machine.

In the meantime, local buyers will have to make do with the current 157kW/500Nm biturbo diesel Ranger Raptor.

If you happen to be reading from America, check out Hennessey's F-150 VelociRaptor. The Texan tuner has ditched the existing twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 and crammed a 5.0-litre V8 into the engine bay, before bolting a 2.9-litre supercharger on top and tweaking the intake, fuelling and cooling systems.

A final ECU tune nets an output of 425kW at the wheels, allowing for a 0-60mph (97kmh) time of 4.1 seconds and a quarter mile run of 12.2 seconds.