1,043-HP Ford F-150 Raptor R Drag Races Ram 1500 TRX, Henessey's Truck Is Crazy Fast

For the 2023 model year, the Raptor's punchier sibling makes 700 horsepower and 640 pound-feet (868 Nm) at full chatter. Ford has facelifted the F-150 for 2024, which also resulted in 20 more ponies for the Raptor R, therefore besting the Ram's 702 ponies and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) of torque.

Although there are more pickups out there, the TRX and Raptor R remain the most powerful series-production trucks with internal combustion. Hennessey's VelociRaptorR 1000 package for the F-150 Raptor R has recently entered production, and contrary to its name, said package upgrades the Predator V8 to a staggering 1,043 horsepower.

Although a drag race against the Mammoth 1000 would have been fairer, Hennessey decided to race a bone-stock TRX against a VelociRaptoR 1000-tuned Raptor R. Even with a head start, Ram's Hellcat-engined truck can't do a thing against the VelociRaptoR 1000 in the quarter mile. The same can be said from a 35-mph rolling start, with 35 mph converting to 56 kilometers per hour and change.

Unfortunately, the Texas-based tuner did not mention quarter-mile times and trap speeds. Previously advertised with 1,000 horsepower at the crank, the VelociRaptoR 1000 is good for a stint from zero to 60 mph (that's 0-97 kilometers per hour) of 3.1 seconds and a quarter mile of 11.4 seconds at 122 miles per hour (196 kilometers per hour).

By comparison, Hennessey advertises the Last Stand Mammoth 1000 with 3.2 and 11.4 seconds at over 120 miles per hour (193 kilometers per hour). On paper, therefore, VelociRaptoR 1000 has a slight edge on straight-line capability. Described by John Hennessey as being the 911 Turbo S of trucks, VelociRaptoR 1000 is limited to 500 examples.

Rated at 824 pound-feet (1,117 Nm) as opposed to 969 pound-feet (1,314 Nm) for the Ram 1500 TRX Mammoth 1000, the newcomer is backed by a three-year limited warranty (or for 36,000 miles/60,000 kilometers, whichever comes first). Hennessey did not bother mentioning a price, although $60,000 seems to be a good estimate.

In the Mammoth's case, Hennessey wants $36,950 for the performance upgrades and an additional $19,950 for the off-road stuff, resulting in a total of $56,900 plus the MSRP of the standard vehicle.

Suppose $60,000 is the asking price of the VelociRaptoR 1000 package, that means the VelociRaptoR 1000-tuned Raptor R will set you back at least $172,250 (including freight). At press time, a Raptor is $78,330; the R package is $31,925, and the destination freight charge is $1,995. A helluva lot of money for a half-ton pickup, but looking at the bigger picture, nothing comes remotely close to the Raptor R as of May 2024.