Hennessey plots 1,000hp ‘VelociRaptoR’ pick-up

It can’t be long before cars like the Ford F-150 Raptor R cease to exist. Maybe that’s why the current one exists. Crazy fast pick-ups will continue, of course – but it’s hard to imagine them carrying on an awful lot longer with supercharged V8s. Even when gas inevitably gets a bit cheaper. For now, though, we – or the US, at least – persists with gloriously daft trucks. And for as long as supercharged V8s are permitted, people will find ways to make them even more potent, which is exactly what’s happened with Ford’s latest Raptor.

Hennessey will use its experience with the F-150’s engine – the ‘Predator’ 5.2 V8, with some changes, also powers the Mustang GT500 – to create this, the VelociRaptoR 1000. It’ll make its full debut early in 2023, but the plans are certainly exciting. Engine modifications are set to include a bigger supercharger (up from 2.65 litres to 3.8), beefier injectors, upgraded fuel lines, high flow induction and a new (presumably shorter) supercharger belt.

Hennessey reckons its engineers are ‘obsessed with high power combustion engines’, so it’s easy to imagine 1,000hp and 850lb ft being more bare minimums than pie-in-the-sky targets. Don’t be surprised if the VelociRaptoR ends up even more powerful, especially with Hennessey Mustang GT500s already at 1,200hp.

Everyone around will know about it, too, the wild F-150 set to receive new, VelociRaptoR-bespoke bumpers, 20-inch wheels with 37-inch off-road tyres, and lights to cement its place as king of the pick-up hill. Or scare the hell out of anybody coming the other way.

John Hennessey said of his eponymous company’s latest creation: “The Hennessey VelociRaptor is the world’s best-selling modified performance truck, of which we’ve built thousands for customers all around the globe. The VelociRaptoR 1000 raises the performance bar significantly in terms of sheer power. Add in the characteristic supercharger whine and the distinctive exhaust note from the unique cross-plane V8, and the package is unbeatable.”

Calibration and testing will take place early in 2023 before the VelociRaptoR is unleashed on customers. Heaven knows who wants a pick-up with the power of a Ferrari SF90, but at this point in the combustion engine’s twilight maybe we have to be grateful for wherever a thousand supercharged V8 horsepower comes from. Particularly with a two-year warranty. Expect it on sale to those brave enough in a couple of months.