Ford Raptor Will Get Mustang GT500's 700-Horsepower V8

Ford is planning a supercharged V8 engine for its new Mustang Shelby GT500, but it appears that engine may also reach the Ford Raptor.

The Ford Raptor was already a monster of a truck, but it’s about to get a lot more powerful thanks to the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and its 5.2-liter V8.

Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show last January, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 engine has over 700 horsepower – an exact number wasn’t given by Ford.

It was widely reported this week that Ram was planning a more powerful Rebel pickup called TRX that would use the Hellcat 6.2-liter V8 with either 707 or 797 horsepower. The Ford Raptor currently delivers 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque from a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6.

That’s a ton of power and allows the Raptor to get to 100 km/h in less than 6.0 seconds. It’s more than enough to outduel the current Ram Rebel, but it wouldn’t be enough to match a Hellcat Rebel.

Putting the Mustang Shelby GT500’s supercharged V8 under the Raptor’s massive hood would certainly do the trick. It would also give the Ford Raptor a much more aggressive exhaust note, something missing on the current truck.

If it’s meant to happen, it wouldn’t be before late 2020 or early 2021 according to sources who spoke to Car and Driver. The new engine would mark the end of the Ford Raptor which probably won’t return when Ford moves to the next generation of the F-150 planned for 2022.

Starting at over $72,000 in Canada for a Ford Raptor SuperCab, the Raptor lineup would likely get a significant increase in price if it were to get a supercharged Shelby Mustang V8. $100,000? Maybe not that much, but not far off.