Ford Raptor V8: insiders say it’s coming soon
Australian engineers have been secretly working on a project to give Ford’s rugged Ranger work ute a big power boost, borrowing from the Mustang sports car.
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Ford is reportedly working on a secret plan to sell V8-powered Ranger Raptor utes in Australia.
A report in this month’s Wheels magazine claims Ford’s Ranger Raptor ute will offer a locally engineered V8 option this year.
The story claims Ford Australia has broken ranks with overseas counterparts to import regular Ranger Raptor models complete with four-cylinder engines before replacing diesel motors with 5.0-litre Mustang V8 engines.
The move is likely to be a winner with performance-minded customers as the current Ranger Raptor is slow — our 2018 road test resulted in a 0-100km/h time of 10.5 seconds.
Ford’s V8 produces a stirring 339kW, far more than the 157kW of existing Raptor models.
The engine swap program is unlikely to be cheap.
HSV took a similar approach to its last Commodore, the GTS-R W1, which added $60,000 to the $109,990 asking price of regular GTS-R models as customers effectively paid for two engines.
The regular Ranger Raptor diesel costs about $85,500 drive-away, which suggests the new car will cost well more than $100,000 by the time it reaches showrooms.
If the project gets the green light, the Ford will be the first V8-powered ute in its segment.
American Special Vehicles, a joint venture between Walkinshaw Automotive Group and Ateco, import a V8 version of the much larger RAM pick-up. The truck has been a big hit since its launch and the joint venture operation has built more than 5000 units.
The project will cash in on the boom in ute sales in recent years. The Toyota HiLux will next week be officially confirmed as the top selling vehicle in the country in 2019, while the Ranger is number two on the sales charts.
Apart from the sheer volume of utes being bought, Australians are splashing large amounts of cash on fully-loaded versions that can easily top $70,000 by the time they reach the road. Large numbers of buyers spend thousands more on aftermarket off-road equipment such as snorkels and heavy duty suspension.
Originally published as Ford Raptor V8: insiders say it’s coming soon