It’s no secret we’re jealous of the North American-spec of the all-new Ford Ranger Raptor. Not only does it have a more hardcore off-road suspension arrangement, it also has a front locking differential to make off-road treks a (relative) piece of cake. Oh, and there’s also the small matter of its 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine punching out 405hp and 580Nm of torque.
The specs of the US version of the Ranger Raptor is impressive and wild in stock form. But that hasn’t stopped the mad tuners of Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) from squeezing out more horsepower from its boosted V6. The result is the Hennessey VelociRaptor 500, and it’s quite possibly the wildest version of the Ford Ranger Raptor yet. It's the Ranger Raptor with the insanity cranked up to 11.
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Hennessey added a whole host of upgrades to the twin-turbo V6 engine in the Ranger Raptor. The VelociRaptor 500 gets a new engine management system that not only bumps up the power, but also improves the response. It also gains a high-flow intake system, a larger intercooler, and an uprated blow-off valve. The result is 500hp and, wait for it, 746Nm of torque, much like the VelociRaptor 500 Bronco. John Hennessey, founder and CEO of HPE reckons the Ranger will be faster than the Bronco due to the lighter weight.
Compared to the standard (American) Ranger Raptor, the VelociRaptor 500 gains 95hp and 163Nm over the standard model. But the power upgrade isn’t the only thing Hennessey has done to this pickup. It gets a steel bumper at the front with extended protection, along with beefy 18-inch wheels wrapped in 35-inch tires and LED off-road lights.
Meanwhile in the Philippines, the Ranger Raptor was launched recently with the familiar 2.0-liter bi-turbo diesel engine. It’s good for 207hp and 500 Nm of torque and shifts with a ten-speed automatic transmission. Okay, so it's got about half the power of the stock US version, but we do get the beefier suspension arrangement (care of Fox) and an enhanced terrain select system.
