Details of the 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R keep on coming, with leaked images of its supercharged V8 stirring up the internet just last week. Now, it appears that the truck has been spotted largely undisguised on public roads. It’s not the first time an F-150 Raptor R test mule has been caught on camera, but it undoubtedly gives the clearest look yet at the forthcoming Ram TRX fighter.
By no means would I call the truck subtle, but compared to the EcoBoost V6-powered model, it looks pretty darn similar. Photos of the Raptor R from the front, side, and rear show identical bumpers, skid plates, and exhaust tips, while even the fenders seem more or less the same. It’s wearing a set of 37-inch BF Goodrich K02 all-terrains, which are likely standard, though a few special markings indicate this is really the F-150 Raptor R.
There’s a sticker high up on the windshield’s passenger side that says “New Model,” which is complemented by another on the back glass that says “2023.” We expect to see the pumped-up truck revealed in the coming months, so the model year seems to line up. Indeed, Ford released a video last February—that’s mysteriously marked as private now—that claimed there’s “more to come” in 2022 for the F-150 Raptor.
What’s most telling, though, is what looks like a piece of black tape covering an R badge on the grille.
As small as these details may seem, they’re significant in hinting that this is more than an off-looking F-150 Raptor with the V6. Really, it looks clean without all the bedside graphics, and it has the standard super-truck fare you’d expect. The side-mounted rocker guards are fixed and double as steps for the cab; the flared front fenders have vents for brake and suspension cooling; and there’s a thick trailing arm visible that connects the five-link coil spring rear end.
It’s unclear how much power the F-150 Raptor R’s blown 5.2-liter V8 will make exactly. That said, you can expect the Blue Oval to shoot for higher numbers than the Ram TRX offers, and that truck offers 702 horsepower along with 650 pound-feet of torque. In the Mustang Shelby GT500, Ford’s Predator engine produces 760 hp and 625 pound-feet; I wouldn’t be surprised to see the F-150 Raptor R pack about that much.
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