2024 Ford Raptor R Has More Power than a Ford GT

• The Ford Raptor has been around in some version for 14 years now, and the folks in Dearborn aren't finished tweaking it just yet.

• For 2024, the Ford F-150 Raptor R will boast 720 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque from its 5.2-liter supercharged V8.

• While Ford is making an effort to electrify its entire lineup, the F-150 Raptor R remains an example of Ford's old-school performance prowess.

Some 14 years ago, the Ford Raptor debuted to the US market as a performance-focused version of the beloved F-150 pickup. Among truck enthusiasts, automotive media, and industry insiders, the F-150 Raptor became the kind of vehicle that could hog the spotlight—for good and bad reasons alike.

That is to say, no one really needed a F-150 Raptor back then. Unless you were conquering the 854.5-mile Baja 1000 (which the Raptor did in stock-ish form back in 2016), the lifted, widened, and power-injected truck was overkill. Even back in 2008, the available 6.2-liter V8's 411 horsepower was considered a high but healthy amount of power.

Fast forward to 2023 and the Raptor has only surged in popularity. And now there is an even more extreme version, known as the F-150 Raptor R. Dual valved Fox shocks, a 12,000-pound-capable Warn winch front bumper, and 35-inch tires make up a portion of the top-end pickup, but the engine is the real story of excess here.

Powered by an updated 5.2-liter supercharged V8, the 2024 Ford Raptor R will put down 720 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque. You read that right. The Raptor R makes more power than the second iteration of the Ford GT, the Ferrari Purosangue, and the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

Of course, that's tempered by its certainly high curb weight. In 2023, the Raptor R weighed in at around 6000 pounds, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 0.12 horsepower per pound. By comparison, the Ford GT has power to weight ratio of 0.22 hp per pound.

Ford managed to achieve this 20 hp bump from the previous year Raptor R by reducing air inlet losses and optimizing engine tuning to produce a wider torque curve. Ford says it is the brand's most powerful truck ever, but it is also the most powerful Ford product on sale now.

Such a drastic power figure represents the importance that pickup trucks—performance-oriented or not—retain in the modern marketplace. The Mustang will stick around for now, but its gasoline-powered future is murky. The F-150, on the other hand, is likely to chug along with a true exhaust pipe for some time.

If you could drive the Ford Raptor R anywhere, where would you take it? Why? Please share your thoughts below.