Ford to send off F-150 Raptor with 700-hp super-truck?

The Raptor will allegedly get the GT500's V8.

Ram will attempt to end Ford's rule of the high-performance pickup truck segment with a Hellcat-powered 1500 tentatively named Rebel TRX. The Blue Oval isn't going down without a fight, and a recent report claims it will release a hot-rodded variant of the F-150 Raptor with Hellcat-crushing power.

The current-generation Raptor downsized from a V8 to a twin-turbocharged V6 engine. Car & Driver learned from insiders that the range-topping model Ford is preparing will ditch the EcoBoost six in favor of a supercharged, 5.2-liter V8 shared with the Mustang GT500 introduced during the 2019 Detroit auto show. The eight will provide over 700 horsepower, which will put the Raptor in the same ballpark as the upcoming Rebel TRX. Ford hasn't released the Mustang's specifications yet.

The Raptor will use a 10-speed automatic transmission developed jointly by Ford and General Motors. It will also receive an array of mechanical upgrades to keep the power -- and what will likely be a prodigious amount of torque -- in check.

Ford's super-Raptor will make its debut either in late 2020 or early 2021, sources familiar with the project told Car & Driver, so shortly after Ram's Raptor fighter. It will give Ram's Rebel TRX a run for its money, and it will help Ford send off the current-generation F-150, which made its debut in 2015. It may not be a limited-edition model, but it will only be offered for one or two model years. Assuming the report is correct, expect pricing to start in the vicinity of $70,000.