Next Generation 2016 Ford F-150 Raptor Spied?
Spies, spies are everywhere! Or at least that’s what it seems like with in respect of the automotive world. Hell, if the spies were this good during the Cold War, it probably would’ve ended sooner, or could have started WWIII depending on the side. But now spies have discovered a new titillating piece of automotive erotica, a Raptor mule.
Now Ford hasn’t released anything, or if even if there is a new Raptor coming. But spies at Car & Driver did catch what looks to be a Raptor chassis running around with a heavily cladded front end. What the mule looks like is possibly just a mule for parts that could be seen on the next generation Raptor.
The bed and front sport the same widened wheel arches as the previous Raptor, but the middle part looks very much like the new aluminum body from the F-150. The wheels are definitely from the Raptor, but the truck doesn’t have the signature Fox shocks visible.
What’s most interesting about this mule is how it sounded. Those intrepid spies say that when it accelerated off, it didn’t sound like the standard V8 we’ve all come to know in the current gen Raptor. Those witnesses described the sound more like the sound that comes from Ford’s EcoBoost V6 (above).
For those that aren’t up on the history of the Raptor, or even some of the complaints about it, rumors and wanting an EcoBoost in the Raptor have surrounded the truck since its debut. One company even built one by swapping an Ecoboost chassis with the body of the Raptor and all the suspension bits because people wanted one so much. Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire did a short video on it.
Personally I think the Raptor would be well suited with the new EcoBoost V6. It has lots of torque, lots of power, and is lighter than the V8 meaning that it will be able to go over the dessert faster than ever before. Right now, all we have are some witness testimonies and a few spy shots, but if Ford were to make another Raptor, figure it would debut around 2016-17, maybe even premiering next Auto Show season.
Check out the spy shots here and more here from AutoGuide.com.