Watch the Hennessey VelociRaptor V8 perform a dyno test to show off how much power makes it to the rear wheels.
There’s no denying that the Ford Raptor is the most extreme pickup truck on the market today, essentially dominating a segment all to itself. But not everyone is a fan of the Raptor. Not because it doesn’t have enough power--450 horses and 510 lb-ft is enough to satisfy most truck enthusiasts. No, what they don’t like is the fact that those horses come from a twin-turbo V6 engine and not a big, burbling V8.
And some people also really wanted more power. Hennessey is one of those people. So he devised a way to give everyone what they wanted: a big V8 engine with even more power than a stock Raptor.
Thus, the VelociRaptor V8 was born. Under the hood is a 5.0-L Coyote V8 engine instead of the original 3.5-L twin-turbo V6. Attached to that V8 is a 2.9-L supercharger operating at 7 psi. The intercooler, radiator, and fuel system have all been replaced to handle the bigger engine, as has the stock Raptor’s wiring harness.
Slap on a few Hennessey badges and logos, and you’ve got yourself the VelociRaptor V8.
Hennessey advertises the VelociRaptor V8 as having 758 horsepower at the crank, but what about at the rear wheels? For that, we need a dynamometer, which Hennessey of course has.
After a few closeup shots of the VelociRaptor’s new stainless steel front and rear bumpers, the dyno chart reveals a rear wheel horsepower of 614 along with 473 lb-ft of torque. Which represents a power loss of 19% to the 10-speed Ford transmission, but that’s the price of a big V8.
On the plus side, the VelociRaptor V8 can scoot from zero to sixty in just 4.1 seconds and complete a quarter-mile drag race in 12.2 seconds at 115 mph. That’s way faster than a stock Raptor, and on top of that, it sounds better.
The VelociRaptor starts at $147,950 which includes the price of the stock Raptor from Ford. Considering the power and performance of this beast, we’d say it’s a pretty good deal.
NEXT: Report: New Ford Raptor Could Get Massive 7.3-L V8 Engine