US tuners are building the V8 ute Ford won’t
The Ford Maverick is the closest thing to a Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore ute on sale in the US, and now Tucci Hot Rods is fitting the missing puzzle piece.
Ford’s global ute and pickup lineup is largely based around big, body-on-frame chassis models such as the Ranger and F-150, but in recent years the car-based Maverick has taken the spotlight in the US.
Last year, Ford sold 155,000 Mavericks in the US, making it more than double as popular as the Ranger, despite its Escape underpinnings and four-cylinder engine offerings.
However, one US firm wants to give the Maverick a V8 heart, providing the spiritual successor to the Falcon ute the world is missing out on.
New York-based Tucci Hot Rods is currently transforming a Maverick into a V8, dual-cab ute, fitting the 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ engine from a Mustang into the pickup.
Set to debut at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the fitment of the Coyote V8 alone would be enough to bump up the Maverick’s outputs, which are usually 187kW and 368Nm from its turbocharged 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine, but the tuners are going one step further by fitting a pair of turbochargers.
While the Mustang’s engine is normally backed by a 10-speed automatic transmission, the V8 in the Maverick will be mated to a ZF 8HP eight-speed auto, regarded as one of the most versatile gearboxes on the market for modified cars.
More details about Tucci’s V8-swapped Maverick Lobo will be revealed closer to its unveiling.
