Hennessey reveals 560kW VelociRaptor V8 Bronco

It’s no secret that a hard-core, range-topping Ford Bronco Raptor is under development, but now that the US car-maker has confirmed it won’t be V8-powered, the floodgates have opened for aftermarket hot-shops to weave their magic on the born-again off-road SUV.

Unsurprisingly, the first of them is Texas tuner Hennessey Performance Engineering, which has confirmed it will build just 24 units of the VelociRaptor V8 Bronco for the 2021 model year, in both two-door and four-door form.

Naturally, the Hennessey Bronco won’t pack just any old V8… under the bonnet will be the same 560kW (750hp) supercharged 5.0-litre Coyote V8 – matched to a 10-speed auto – as the US mob offers in the F-150 VelociRaptor.

HPE estimates the force-fed Ford V8 will lower the Bronco’s 0-60mph (97km/h) time to just 4.5 seconds, and will back it with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty.

“Over the past two years we have built over 70 Gen 2 Ford Raptors for our customers by removing the EcoBoost V6 and replacing it with the same 750hp supercharged 5.0-litre V8. I wanted to build the ultimate Ford Bronco for myself and for our customers,” said company founder and CEO, John Hennessey.

“The 2021 Bronco may be one of the most highly desired vehicles since the introduction of the Ford GT. We look forward to taking the new Bronco to the next level and beyond.”

Along with the blown V8 with cat-back stainless-steel exhaust to replace the Ford Bronco’s standard 2.3-litre turbo four or optional 2.7-litre twin-turbo V6, the Hennessey special adds a custom bonnet with scoop, VelociRaptor front and rear bumpers with LED lights, upgraded suspension and bigger alloy wheels and off-road tyres.

There are also VelociRaptor V8 graphics and, inside, a customer leather interior with Hennessey embroidered head restraints limited-edition serial number plaque.

Price? $US225,000 ($A320K) plus shipping, presumably to Australia too if you’re prepared to pay for it, even if the Bronco won’t be produced in right-hand drive and will therefore not be officially sold here.

The Bronco V8 conversion by Hennessey, which also produced 500 examples of the Ranger VelociRaptor with a 270kW 2.3-litre turbo four in 2019, at least proves that Ford’s Coyote V8 does indeed fit in the engine bay of the Aussie-engineered Ranger, which shares its platform with the Bronco, so what are you waiting for John…?