Image via Autotopia LA/YouTube
Normally we honestly don’t get all that excited about Ford Raptors. They’re not bad trucks per se, it’s just that there’s all kinds of hype that overshadows the actual performance of the off-road trucks. And while we get the EcoBoost engine in the second-gen models is powerful, it just doesn’t hit like the Coyote V8. But this 2018 Ford Raptor has been modified to the point it fills us with a sense of awe.
Classic Mercedes sports a Raptor heart transplant.
Built by No Limit Fabrication out of Southern California, it’s producing 1,250-horsepower at the crank. Drivetrain atrophy is surprisingly little, with all four wheels putting down over 1,000-hp. This thing hits so hard, it squats hard when the driver nails it while rolling down the road.
Of course, to get the truck to that point the shop at first tried downpipes, turbo upgrades, different exhausts, but nothing really satisfied. That’s when they made the smartest move possible, going for a 62mm twin-turbo Coyote V8 engine swap.
What’s really surprising is the owner of No Limit Fabrication says with the EcoBoost gone and the Coyote in, there was “substantially more” space under the hood. Those boosted six-cylinders are rather complicated.
By the way, with the turbos running 25 psi, the minimum output is 1,250-hp. In other words, depending on the tune, it could be higher. And if they were to dial up the turbos, the jump in power would be significant. We’d love to see someone try that with an EcoBoost, then hear about all the expensive wizardry to make it happen.
They still did a lot of work with this truck, redoing the entire suspension, rear differential, even the rear frame. It’s the kind of ride you can take to the desert and really race, hitting jumps at ridiculous speeds and doing what so many naïve Raptor owners believe they can do with their bone stock pickup.
Check this thing out in action and prepare to be amazed.
Images via Autotopia LA/YouTube
