The V8 engine might be living its last moments of glory, but though the format’s days are counted, it’s still the go-to choice for certain specific vehicles. We're thinking, of course, of sports cars, but especially of pickup trucks that need to tow heavy loads.
In this regard, Ford already offers a super-powerful V8 for its HD truck, the Super Duty. The 7.3L block that can be found under its hood develops 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. However, the company is rumored to be working on an even more powerful engine.
In fact, the Ford Authority website reports that two prototypes of a new engine have been built with two turbochargers each, enough to double the power. Yes, you read that right. Can you imagine a block making something like 850 hp and nearly 1,000 lb-ft of torque in the service of a workhorse like a Super Duty model?
It could also find a home in an F-150 Raptor, if you change the configuration; this engine's block is made of iron, so it can react well to the staggering torque at low RPM of such a model. According to reports, no other version of the engine conceived for a platform other than that of a Super Duty model is in the works.
We do already know that the next Ford F-150 Raptor R will be powered by a V8 engine, the nature of which is not yet known.
In short, there's a lot to speculate about. It's also possible that the Raptor R will be powered by another V8 engine from Ford workshop, reworked for the occasion.
So there's a lot to watch out for with this rumour.