Car News

Cold water thrown on Ford Ranger Raptor V8 rumour

The Ford Ranger Raptor V8 isn’t coming… at least not in the way we think it is.

FOLLOWING REPORTS that Ford is readying a Ranger Raptor V8, the supposed engineering firm behind the project, Melbourne-based Premcar, has dismissed the rumours.

Speaking last week at Premcar’s facility in Epping where it produces the Raptor-rivalling Nissan Navara Warrior, engineering director Bernie Quinn told Practical Motoring that there was nothing in reports that pointed to Premcar developing and producing the Raptor V8 for Ford Australia.

“There’s no way I could even talk about it and that’s not me saying that they have or haven’t,” Quinn first said.

“But in reality, it is all pure speculation,” he continued. “And that whole thing… [was] kind of pulled out from somewhere.

“What happened then was that it went [in the news] and it was all purely speculation and they got an increase.

“So what’s going to happen? Everyone is going to be talking about it, but it is pure speculation.”

Indeed, we also reported late last week that Ford said it found a Raptor V8 desirable. But that doesn’t mean it will happen, and Quinn made it clear that the claims of Premcar’s involvement are baseless, and that there is absolutely no plan for a production Raptor V8.

Initial reports – first broken by Wheels Magazine – suggested that the Ford Ranger Raptor V8 would hit the streets late-2020, carrying an adopted 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine from the Mustang GT in place of the Raptor’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel. With Quinn’s latest statement it would appear that the project is either frozen on ice or was never a serious contender to materialise.

As Practical Motoring understands, the earliest such a car would realistically go on sale after ADR and compliance testing would be around mid-2022, or after the next-gen Ford Ranger will arrive, which has already been seen testing with more powerful V6 engines from the factory.

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Alex Rae

Alex Rae