Sealy, Texas - Many South African Ford Ranger drivers are cruising around in their interpretation of what a Raptor should be, and the
The tuner is already renowned for its F150 VelociRaptor, and now all that logic has been applied to the Ranger, which was only recently unleashed on the US market.
More power? You betcha.
Hennessey took the stock 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbopetrol engine that’s fitted as standard to all American Rangers and gave it a new high-flow air induction system, a less restrictive stainless steel catback exhaust system and, of course, some obligatory ECU loving, to raise the power output from 201kW to 261kW, while maximum twist is increased from 420Nm to 522Nm. The result off the line, according to the Texans, is a 0-60mph (96km/h) time of 6.1 seconds.
For those wanting to terrorise the ranch trails, the VelociRaptor gets a ‘Stage 1’ off-road suspension upgrade that lifts the vehicle by 10.1cm, as well as Hennessey 17-inch alloy wheels shod with BFG off-road tyres and a trail-friendly front bumper that improves the approach angle.
The cost of the upgrade, in the US, is $19 950 (around R285 000 in our money), and it includes a three-year/57 000km warranty, and just 500 of these will be built.
“We are so excited to introduce our 2019 Hennessey VelociRaptor upgrades for the 2019 Ford Ranger truck,” said company founder & CEO, John Hennessey.
“The demand for our VelociRaptor upgrades for the Ford Raptor truck has been incredible over the past 10 years. We are thrilled to be able to offer increased power, performance - on and off-road all packed in our exclusively branded VelociRaptor package.”