We’ve all seen Hennessey’s VelociRaptor 600 do all sorts of tricks, and that list has now grown to include some proper dune bashing. For this, the Lone Star State tuner took the heavily modified Ford F-150 Raptor to the Southern California Desert, setting it loose in the sand.
With its enhanced nature, the super truck tackled inclines to climb 300 feet (91 meters) high dunes, undergoing torturous launches, and high-speed driving, all in temperatures exceeding 100 F (~40 C). The team behind it pushed every component to the limit with various other tests, including high-speed jumps.
“Our torturous ‘Fire & Ice’ program is the real-world culmination after hundreds of hours of research and development each model line undergoes at our Texas headquarters,” said the company’s founder and CEO, John Hennessey. “Our goal is to combine the ultimate performance with complete peace of mind.”
The extensive testing program, which pushes their vehicles to the limit, far more than any owner will ever attempt, provides peace of mind to customers that their rides won’t have any issues. The hot weather program that the VelociRaptor 600 was subjected to follows the cold weather testing that also saw a Mammoth 1000 TRX taking on the mountains of Colorado, with temperatures dipping below 10 F (-12 C).
Setting the VelociRaptor 600 apart from the stock Ford F-150 Raptor is a power boost, courtesy of the air-to-air intercooler upgrade, high-flow air induction system, intercooler piping upgrade, and software upgrade. The result is 558 hp and 672 lb-ft (911 Nm) of torque on tap. Everything is backed up by a 3-year/36,000-mile (57,936-km) warranty, and customers can go for the Off Road Stage 1 bundle too, which brings dedicated bumpers, LED light bar, electric fold-out side steps, 3-inch lift kit, and 20-inch wheels, wrapped in 35-inch chunky rubber.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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