Beyond the ultimate off-road terrain conqueror, I am referring to the new 2017 Hennessey VelociRaptor 6×6. When Hennessy Performance revealed the VelociRaptor 6×6 in concept form a year ago, I had little hopes the model would actually be produced. However, the performance-tuning house has finally released the first sample of the very aggressive pickup truck. The truck is based on the new 2018 Ford Raptor F-150 SuperCrew truck but 2017 models also qualify for the upgrade. The automaker released the 2017 Hennessey VelociRaptor 6×6 at this year’s SEMA show held in Las Vegas. Hennessey will only be building 50 units of the truck making it one of the rarest trucks in the market.
To give you an impression of the capabilities of the new truck, you must first understand that it is based on the Ford F-150 Raptor which is already good for 450 horsepower and is also highly rated in terms of its off-road and hauling capabilities. This is not the first time that Hennessey has surprised the automobile world with its tuning prowess; recently, the tuning house transformed the Lotus Exige into the Hennessey Venom F5, a 1,200 hp monster with a top speed of 270 mph.
What the 2017 Hennessey VelociRaptor 6×6 package offers
This thing looks enormous and aggressive from whoever direction you look at it. I bet it is not often to see a pickup truck with a whopping 6 wheels. The Hennessey performance-oriented additions include locking rear axles, an upgraded suspension, 20-inch wheels wrapped in thick off-road tires, VelociRaptor bumpers (front and rear), bed-mounted roll bar, blinding LED lights, as well as a VelociRaptor 600 hp twin-turbocharged engine, upgrade.
Although the base Raptor comes with 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, Hennessey thought that the truck needed more power and decided to bump the output to a whopping 605 hp and 622 lb-ft of torque. The output boost is courtesy of upgraded turbochargers, a bigger air-to-air intercooler mounted at the front, modified stainless steel exhaust system as well as a re-tuned factory computer.
Price and release date
The 2017 Hennessey VelociRaptor 6×6 is available for $349,000 (inclusive of the regular Ford Raptor model it is based on), an astoundingly huge amount to spend on a pickup truck considering at only $100,000, the Super Duty trucks are considered super expensive. Buyers can also get a Brembo brake package, larger wheels as if 20-inch wheels are not large enough as well as an interior upgrade for an extra $22,000. On the other hand, buyers who would only wish to upgrade the power output of the 3.5 L, EcoBoost V-6 on their 2017 and 2018 Ford Raptor F-150 trucks from 450 hp to 600 hp can do so for only $22,500 via the VelociRaptor 600 package.
If you have such deep pockets to afford this toy to have fun on the weekends in the desert, you can make your order either to Hennessey directly or via select Ford dealers. As said earlier, Hennessey will only build 50 units for the 2018 model year.