Ever since Ford swapped out the V8 engine from its F-150 Raptor in favor of the EcoBoost, the community of off-road truck loving enthusiasts have taken their thoughts to any Facebook post that merely mentions the EcoBoost platform. Well, either Ford read the comments section or Ford came to realize the potential of a halo off-road truck for marketing, because they have been excited to inform the public that the Raptor R will be coming with a V8 engine since day one.
While a Raptor R has been talked about since early last year, a recent Instagram post by theraptorconnection out of Conroe, Texas, depicts a build rotation sheet that shows “5.2L” as part of the process. This is still an unconfirmed rumor, but I think we can all agree that a Ford Raptor powered by the same engine as the Shelby GT500 is the perfect competitor to the Dodge Ram TRX. After all, the supercharged 5.2-liter Predator engine makes 760-horsepower from the factory and is extremely welcoming to modifications. The aftermarket support alone will allow Raptor R owners to quickly reach the 1000-horsepower mark with basic bolt-ons and fueling.
As engine speculation continues to stir talks, one thing that is not being mentioned is the overall production numbers. Hopefully the Raptor R will not follow inline with the extremely limited Mustang Cobra R’s footsteps of any generation, but the general consensus is that the production numbers will be restricted to sub-1500 units. If that number is true, then this will set the Raptor R apart from its non-R brethren by roughly 70,000 units per year.
Ford will quickly tell you that the Raptor is rooted in Baja 1000 racing and a V8 makes sense. However, I think we can all say we’re a little taken back by the fact this truck will be coming with one of the highest horsepower production engines Ford has ever made. Now if only we can produce another miracle and find one at a dealership without the additional dealer markup pre-applied.
