Hennessey VelociRaptor 500 Ranger takes matters to 500 hp and 550 lb-ft

A new Ford Ranger means it must be time for a new Hennessey Performance VelociRaptor Ranger, right? Of course. This time, however, things have changed from the VelociRaptor Ranger we drove in 2019. Back then, Ford didn't build a Ranger Raptor for the U.S. from the factory, so Hennessey's makeover was one way to get where Ford wouldn't go. That truck took the stock 2.3-liter four-cylinder from 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque to 360 hp and 440 lb-ft., and added lots of off-road specific components for a price starting at $19,950 on top of the donor vehicle cost. With the new Ranger Raptor officially a thing, the Texas tuner needed to move the goalposts. The new truck is built atop the Raptor trim and called the VelociRaptor 500 Raptor in honor of its power output.

In many ways, this is the pickup equivalent of Hennessey's VelociRaptor 500 Bronco unveiled a month ago; the Bronco and Ranger Raptors are both powered by Ford's turbocharged 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6. A high-flow intake, high-capacity front intercooler with a blow-off valve, and new engine management software get that mill breathing harder and deeper. Instead of the stock truck's 405 hp and 430 lb-ft, the VelociRaptor 500 Ranger makes 500 hp and 550 lb-ft.