Shelby Gives the Ford F-150 Raptor R 1,000 Horsepower to Slay the Ram 1500 TRX SRT
Shelby American has been enhancing the Raptor recipe since 2013, and for the 2026 model year, it's extracted 1,000 horsepower from the F-150 Raptor R. The 5.2-liter "Predator" supercharged V8 first seen in the 2020 GT500 has been given a new 3.8-liter Whipple supercharger, among other upgrades, to achieve this TRX-beating level of performance, but for those who want a less extreme offering, upgrades are also available for the EcoBoost V6 Raptor, unlocking an extra 105 ponies. Let's look at the V8 first and end with the price. Spoiler: it's not cheap.
2026 Shelby American Raptor R Gets Reworked Front to Back
To make the new supercharger stand out, both the blower and the intake manifold have been given a Bengal Red powder-coating finish, and there's a plaque for you to show your buddies. The engine is fed by a performance air intake and a billet aluminum throttle body, and there's a new dual-core dual-pass intercooler system to keep temperatures under control. A Shelby-tuned Borla exhaust completes the powertrain package. To ensure everyone knows you're not in a "regular" Raptor R with a lift kit, Shelby has smoothed and painted the fender flares housing a set of 18-inch off-road wheels wrapped in 37-inch BFGoodrich KM3 Mud Terrain tires, and to avoid the cluster going haywire with warnings, the speedometer and tire sensors have been recalibrated.
Up front, the truck gets a repainted grille, a vented hood, and a high-clearance front bumper from Addictive Desert Designs with recovery points and a 30-inch light bar paired with two Vision X lights in the corners. The rear bumper is also replaced and now includes two 10-inch reverse lights from Vision X, which also supplies the power-actuated light bar on the Shelby Baja bed rack. Speaking of the bed, Shelby has added two full-size spare wheels and tires on mounts for that desert racer look. Down the sides, power running boards with lights and rock guards appear, and Shelby stripes and wordmarks complete the transformation.
Related: 2026 Shelby F-250 Super Baja Is a $160,000 Off-Road Super Truck
Inside, you get carbon fiber trim, billet foot pedals, a serialized plaque, and Shelby seat covers, badging, and floor mats. Tinted windows keep the cabin cool in the summer heat. The V6 Raptor gets nearly identical treatment, but it's got a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 under the hood, not a supercharged V8, so the only mechanical changes are a high-performance intake with a heat shield, a new intercooler, and a Borla exhaust. This increases output from 450 hp to 555 hp on 93-octane gas.
2026 Shelby American Raptors Don't Come Cheap
Shelby-branded vehicles are specially modified creations that will be documented in the official Shelby Registry, but that comes at a considerable cost; for the V6 Raptor, you'll pay a whopping $146,795, and for the V8 Raptor R, $194,795. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the predatory dinosaur in the room, the 777-hp TRX SRT. Sure, that's considerably less powerful, but it costs under six figures, albeit only just. Perhaps a fairer comparison will be possible when Roush reveals its tuned Ram pickup, which could match Shelby's output.
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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 4:46 PM.