At Ford, the big, supercharged pickups have clearly been popular for several years. Bronco Raptor, F-150 Raptor R, the Blue Oval already lines up spectacular machines. Amid this spree of raw power, the compact Ford Maverick almost looked like the well-behaved kid. And yet, some fans dreamed of one thing: a big V8 under its hood.
That fantasy is taking shape in a shop in New York state. The tuner Tucci Hot Rods is grafting a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 into a Maverick. This wild pickup is set to be unveiled in early November at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. It’s this Ford Maverick V8 Tucci Hot Rods that promises the engine fans have been dreaming of. And the early details show the tuner isn’t pulling its punches.
Ford Maverick: stock, sensible engines vs the V8 dream
Originally, the Ford Maverick played the rational card in the American market. The 2.0-liter turbo four makes 250 hp and 376 Nm of torque. As an alternative, the 2.5-liter hybrid delivers 191 hp combined. Ford does not publish a total torque figure for this version, but the electric motor hits 320 Nm. For everyday use, these numbers are plenty for many buyers, but not for performance enthusiasts.
Tucci Hot Rods quickly understood this gap in the lineup. The New York tuner had already made a name for itself with a snow-tracked Bronco. In 2021, it had most notably shown at SEMA a beefed-up Maverick — widened and sitting on the ground. Available information indicates that this new V8 project actually uses the same pickup as its base. A detail that shows just how closely Tucci has followed its Maverick over time.
Under the hood of the Tucci Ford Maverick: V8 5.0 Coyote, twin-turbo and ZF
The first images from the project already show the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 installed in the engine bay. It replaces the stock 2.0-liter four-cylinder, in a bay that wasn’t designed for such a block. To fit it, Tucci had to cut the transmission tunnel, the firewall, and fabricate bespoke mounts. This engine block already puts out nearly 500 hp in some stock Mustangs. In the Tucci Maverick, it is paired with a ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic.
And this is just the beginning, because Tucci plans to add two turbochargers to this 5.0-liter V8. The kit uses Hellion Turbo Systems, with a target power above 800 hp according to multiple sources. A figure that promises torque figures truly impressive, well beyond what the stock Maverick offers. The prepared pickup is scheduled to make its public debut at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, a showcase for this kind of creation. As for the chassis or the cabin, no detailed technical sheet has yet been released, no precise numbers have been given.
