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The New Ford Raptor Will Get a V8 from the Mustang GT500

By Andrew Steadman

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 12: Ford introduces the new Ford F150 Raptor at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on January 12, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. More than 5000 journalists from around the word will see approximately 45 new vehicles unveiled during the 2015 NAIAS, which opens to the public January 17 and concludes January (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 12: Ford introduces the new Ford F150 Raptor at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on January 12, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. More than 5000 journalists from around the word will see approximately 45 new vehicles unveiled during the 2015 NAIAS, which opens to the public January 17 and concludes January (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /
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Ford announced this week that the new 2021 Ford Raptor will be getting the 5.2-liter V8 from the Mustang GT500.

The newest Raptor will reportedly have 725 horsepower, per Jalopnik. Although the news has not been officially confirmed by Ford, this looks like a pretty obvious counterpunch in response to Ram’s 1500 TRX announcement.

Earlier this week we wrote about the new Ram 1500 TRX, which is powered by Dodge’s Hellcat V8. We talked about how the TRX would be a “Raptor-killer,” since the current iteration of the Ford Raptor maxes out at 450 horsepower.

It didn’t take Ford long to respond. The Drive reported that Ford’s decision to drop the massive GT500 V8 into the Raptor was directly influenced by news that Ram would be releasing a 700+ horsepower pickup.

The new Raptor apparently will also sport a new coil-spring rear suspension, replacing the leaf-spring system that’s used on those trucks. This information comes from photographs that were taken of an apparent camouflaged Raptor.

Ford and Fiat Chrysler, maker of Ram and Jeep vehicles, have been trading blows recently. Jeep announced a new Wrangler in an attempt to undermine Ford’s long-awaited Bronco reveal. Now, Ford is looking to steal Ram’s thunder with a new souped-up Raptor.

General Motors is nowhere to be found in any of this. Perhaps GM is simply biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to announce its new 800-horsepower Silverado variant. Or, more likely, it simply will sit this one out.

Related Story. The 2017 Ford Raptor Gets a Power Bump and Better Mileage. light

Head over to The Drive for some spy shots of the new Raptor.

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