MC&T Staff 
When the current generation Ford F-150 Raptor came to the market for the 2017 model year, a number of enthusiasts were disappointed by the amount of cylinders filling up the engine bay. The V8 engine that was found in the first generation Raptor fit the truck’s personality in a way that the 450 horsepower EcoBoost just hasn’t. Recognizing a V8-shaped hole in the market, Hennessey Performance rolled out the VelociRaptor V8 back in 2018 for those who felt their Raptor was short a few cylinders. As orders for the 2020 model year begin, the Texas-based tuning house has decided to see how their Hennessey VelociRaptor V8 stacks up against a sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro SS in a drag race.
If you think that it seems foolish to race a two-door sports car against a big lumbering truck, you must not be familiar with Hennessey Performance. Famous for their astronomical power outputs, Hennessey has not disappointed with the V8-powered Ford F-150 VelociRaptor. Where the 3.5L EcoBoost once resided now sits a 5.0L Coyote V8 topped with a 2.9L Whipple Supercharger, which produces a massive 758 horsepower on 7psi of boost.
In order to achieve those figures, the engine has been modified with an air-to-water intercooler, a high-flow air induction system, an upgraded Fuel System and fuel injectors, as well as a stainless steel cat-back exhaust. All of that power propels the VelociRaptor V8 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, and through the 1/4 mile in 12.2 seconds at 115 mph. Other improvements over the standard Raptor include custom VelociRaptor bumpers front and rear, a stage 2 off-road suspension with a six-inch lift and Hennessey 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 37-inch BF Goodrich KM03 tires.
The stock 6.2L LT1 V8 found inside the 2017 Camaro SS convertible used in the clip puts out a healthy 455 horsepower and 455 torque, which helps the pony car hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds before reaching the 1/4 mile in 12.6 seconds. These numbers are great out of the box, but based on these figures we’d expect the V8 swapped Raptor to run away with this race. However, that’s not the case here. In all of the runs during the video, the Hennessey VelociRaptor V8 may get the jump on the Camaro, but is unable to hang ahead of the sports car for long.
There might be a couple of reasons for this, the most obvious of which is weight. The Chevrolet drop top weighs in at 3,966 pounds, which is down right lightweight compared to the stock Raptor’s 5,500 pounds of mass, not to mention its aerodynamic disadvantage, as well. While the weight disparity alone could account for the results, Hennessey might have the answer on their own website. On the dyno the VelociRaptor V8 shows a staggering 25 percent drivetrain loss, with total wheel outputs of 570 horsepower and 450 pound feet of torque.
(Apparently the video caused enough uproar from enthusiasts that Hennessey’s YouTube channel took the video down at the time of this writing.)
So the Hennessey Ford F-150 VelociRaptor V8 isn’t as good at drag racing as the Camaro, but that’s not really the point of it all. It’s assumed that not many would be buying this truck for what it can do on the pavement, as it is still a seriously capable off-roader. It had better be as well, considering the price for the 2019 Hennessey VelociRaptor V8 was $147,950. That price does include a new Raptor to use as the basis for the project, which is covered by a 3 year / 36,000 mile warranty.
