Ford Ranger Raptor owners now have the opportunity to upgrade to a supercharged V8 powertrain – for around the same price as the ute itself.

Killa Conversions & Performance in Queensland has developed an engine swap program for the current-generation Ranger Raptor – ditching the twin-turbo V6 for a Ford V8, taken from a Mustang.

The 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ V8 puts out 559kW and 908Nm, thanks to the addition of an aftermarket Roush supercharger, with the extra power running through an upgraded 10-speed automatic transmission.

The result is an increase in performance of almost 92 per cent over the standard Ranger Raptor – already one of the quickest utes on the market.

But a V8 soundtrack doesn’t come cheap, with the engineering firm offering the engine conversion for $89,000 fully installed – with each vehicle requiring additional engineering, which varies from state-to-state.

While the Ram 1500 TRX is no longer on sale in Australia, Killa Conversions claims the Ranger Raptor V8 will outperform the high-performance American pick-up – while also being around $60,000 cheaper than the TRX.

An imported Ford F-150 Raptor R offers 537kW and 868Nm from its supercharged 5.2-litre V8, with right-hand-drive-converted examples being advertised for around $360,000.

It’s not the first time a V8 has been shoehorned into the front of a dual-cab ute.

Holden Special Vehicles dropped a 339kW/617Nm 6.2-litre V8 and 10-speed transmission from the Chevrolet Camaro into a Holden Colorado, with the one-off concept eventually selling at auction for $205,000 (before buyer’s premium) back in late 2021.

New Zealand outfit Extreme Conversions also offered a 6.2-litre supercharged ‘LSA’ V8 crate engine in the Holden Colorado, with one example of the 430kW/745Nm ute being offered for NZ$149,990 (AU$139,000) earlier in 2021.

For those who can’t quite stretch to a Ranger Raptor, Killa Conversions also offers V8 conversions for previous-generation Rangers, Holden Colorados, as well as older Toyota LandCruisers and Nissan Patrols.