Raptor Meets Godzilla?

Ford’s F-150 Raptor represents the pinnacle of off-road performance for adventurous full-size truck buyers — it’s a vehicle capable of blasting through brush (not that you would) with its extra-wide stance and enlarged fenders, running full-bore across the backcountry with the 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque on tap from its high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, and sticking bone-crushing landings with the help of its long-legged suspension.

And still buyers wish for more. According to one report, the Raptor could be due for an engine upgrade that puts the correct number of cylinders beneath the hood.

As claimed by insider sources who spoke to Ford Authority, the boys and girls at the Blue Oval are in the midst of testing a Raptor outfitted with a V8 engine. The engine would serve in a high-performance variant of the already high-performance truck. If true, this would represent something of a return to tradition for the model, as the first-generation Raptor employed a 6.2-liter V8 for motivation.

Twin-turbo sixes are nice, but the 3.0-liter unit found in the 2020 Explorer ST makes 400 hp and 415 lb-ft. The hybrid Lincoln Aviator promises that engine, plus 450 hp and 600 lb-ft. Lesser engines are beginning to take some of the shine off the Raptor’s 3.5L EcoBoost.

It could just be an experiment, but when it comes to V8s Ford now has a bevy of choices. Why not make maximum use of them?

Rumors abound that the Raptor will soon adopt the supercharged 5.2-liter Voodoo V8 found in the upcoming Mustang Shelby GT500, said to make north of 700 hp. That could still be the case. However, there’s an alternative that doesn’t have to work as hard: Ford’s naturally aspirated, pushrod 7.3-liter “ Godzilla” engine (seen above), built at a newly upgraded plant in Windsor, Ontario.

Destined for the 2020 Super Duty line, the engine boasts relatively compact dimensions and is said by Ford spokesman Mike Levine to be compatible with both the Mustang and Raptor. Power, for now, remains a mystery, though Ford claims the big-bore mill will outmuscle all other gas V8s in its class.

It would seem that the Godzilla is better suited to moving considerable mass in a hurry, though the Voodoo rumors can’t be dismissed just yet. Time will tell what Ford decides to do with its brawniest truck.

[Images: Ford]