Hennessey Turns F-150 Raptor Into 600-Horsepower VelociRaptor 600

Although most truck owners wouldn't notice it, foremost tuners like to take a pickup and do a touch here and a tweak there, pull in a bit over there, and voila la, they have taken the truck and turned it into something a lot more powerful.

A Major Tuner Of Ford F-150 Raptors

For example, Hennessey Performance of Texas, a significant tuner of Ford F-150 models like the F-150 Raptor pickup, has been known to do a tweak or two on the basic Ford model and come out with a model they call the VelociRaptor.

Along with the VelociRaptor, Hennessey has another model, based on a Ford pickup, the Venom. The Venom is another model that the tuner has in its arsenal of performance Ford pickups.

Hennessey has done it again. They have taken the turbocharged F-150 Raptor, added about 150 horsepower, and turned it into the VelociRaptor 600. The key here is that they have taken the basic Ford 3.5-liter EcoBoost (turbo) and then applied their tweaks to the powerplant, and they have created the VelociRaptor 600.

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine in the Ford Raptor is a turbo powerplant that turns out 450-horsepower, which is quite a lift for the 3.5-liter engine. Imagine adding 150 horsepower on top of that! It is what Hennessey has accomplished, according to the website Marketing Research.

The added horsepower bump that Hennessey injects into the mix is fully 33 percent more power than the standard 450-horsepower available in the third-generation Ford F-150 Raptor.

Hennessey Makes Use Of Familiar Engine>

Hennessey takes advantage of Ford's continuing use of the familiar 3.5-liter EcoBoost powerplant. Using a familiar powerplant makes it easier for a tuner like Hennessey to add the extra horsepower.

To achieve the 150-horsepower bump, Hennessey's VelociRaptor, the tuning team uses a new high-flow air induction system plus an upgraded front-mounted intercooler, plus better intercooler plumbing. The engine management system undergoes reprogramming as the final piece of the completed VelociRaptor.

To ensure that the VelociRaptor delivers 600 horsepower, the pickup undergoes a complete dyno test. The final specs for the upgrade are 600 horsepower and 622 pounds-feet of torque. The upgrade testing includes up to 400 miles of road test work.

Hennessey says the upgrades should mean the VelociRaptor will turn a 4.2-second 0 to 60 run. Also, the VelociRaptor 600 should turn in a quarter-mile of 12.9 seconds.

Hennessey Additions Include

Typically, Hennessey adds such upgrades as the Hennessey VelociRaptor front bumper, 20-inch wheels, and a three-inch lift for the suspension. A three-year/36,000-mile warranty covers all work done by Hennessey.

The VelociRaptor 600 begins at $85,950, though buyers may spend more like $110,000 with options. Hennessey is taking orders for the new VelociRaptor 600, though deliveries won't occur until early 2022. According to Marketing Research, Hennessey is the world's biggest maker of modified F-150 Raptors. Hennessey expects the pickup to be one of its best-sellers.

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as I have been a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise that I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.