The all-new Ford Raptor T1+ debuted last July as the latest off-road racer from Ford Performance, after which it managed to secure a third-place finish at the 2025 Dakar Rally recently. The Ford Raptor T1+ is obviously a purpose-built machine containing a host of exotic parts, and it’s powered by the 5.0L V8 Coyote engine – something its road-going counterpart, the Ford Ranger, doesn’t offer. As it turns out, quite a bit of work had to be done to make that particular V8 fit and function as desired in the off-road racer, too.
According to Popular Science, The Blue Oval considered pretty much every engine in its lineup when it came time to decide on a powertrain for the Ford Raptor T1+, including hybrids. Ultimately, it settled on the Coyote for a few good reasons – it’s ultra-reliable and has already been tested in a variety of extreme environments. “I wouldn’t say the entire program was built around the [Coyote V8] engine, but it became very obvious very quickly we could start building the vehicle around it,” said Jay Ward, the director of global Ford Performance communications.
Once Ford Performance settled on the Coyote as the engine of choice, it moved on to create the Raptor T1+’s scratch-built tube chassis, adding a pair of Fox shocks at each corner, along with carbon fiber body panels – pricey stuff, meaning that the race truck is easily a million dollar build. However, shaving weight isn’t the only consideration here. Rather than using lightweight seats inside the cabin, Ford went with a cushier option, a necessity as drivers spend at least eight hours a day for two straight weeks traversing tough terrain during the Dakar Rally. Ultimately, those decisions paid off with a podium finish.
“[Carlos Sainz] launched this thing into the future, and as we came towards a gully I thought, ‘Well, this is going to be by far the biggest accident of my life. If I survive it, I’ll be a lucky man.’ And we hit this thing and honestly, it was like being on a bloody magic carpet. The thing just floated straight over the top of it,” Ward said of his ride along with the race car driver prior to the big event.
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