Its an open secret that your author has been pushing Ford to bring a version of the mighty Ranger Raptor to these shores. With GM taking a big slice of the mid-size off-road pie with the Colorado ZR2 and ZR2 Bison, the Blue Oval must surely know its leaving money on the table. Thats without mentioning the Tacoma TRD Pro and its ilk.Where the Glass House has fallen down, a Texas-based tuner has picked it up. PaxPower, a speed house out of Houston, has unveiled a 350-hp Ranger with plenty of off-road goodies at this years SEMA show in Las Vegas. A common cop-out Fords offered as to why the Ranger Raptor isnt in North American showrooms is the presence of a weak-sauce 2.0-litre diesel engine making just 210 horsepower. While it is true this mill would not satisfy customers in this region, PaxPower has proven a Raptor-like Ranger can be built around this markets 2.3L EcoBoost engine, thank you very much. Tuned to about 350 horsepower, this clever girl will surely outrun most of the other creatures in the jungle.Starting with a current-model Ranger FX4, PaxPower adds OEM Raptor body panels to the fenders, bedsides and most obviously the front fascia. Those bumpers are custom-fabricated, though, and offer approach and departure angles better than any stock Ranger could ever dream. Toyo R/T rubber sets a just-right stance.None of this show would be of any use without a bit of off-road go, so the company installed a prerunner long-travel suspension setup from BajaKits to pair with King 2.5 front coilovers and rear shocks. Specific front and rear suspension travel isnt mentioned but it surely matches or beats the overseas Ranger Raptor measures of 32-per-cent and 18-per-cent increases over a standard Ranger.Like it? Me, too. Since the crew at Ford seem paralyzed on this issue, one can head over to PaxPower to spend their
Origin: Texas tuners build the Ranger Raptor that Ford won’t sell here
Texas
Texas tuner Hennessey to hit Porsche Taycan with style and performance upgrades
A rendering of the 2020 Hennessey Porsche TaycanHennessey Performance Hennessey Performance in Texas is known for adding gobs of horsepower to new muscle cars most people assumed already had more output than they needed.But the tuner is planning to tackle its first electric vehicle next year in the form of the 2020 Porsche Taycan sedan.While past efforts have seen them crack the 1,000-hp mark with a 1,200-horse Shelby Mustang GT500; or add an extra axle to the Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss, were not certain you should expect any of those enhancements on the battery-driven Hennessey Taycan.All we know for certain is that theyll throw some wheel, tire and interior enhancements on the thing, reports Car and Driver, as well as new front and rear fascias. But it wouldnt be a Hennessey if the firm didnt also bump up the wattage coming out of the Taycans motors, right? Like some other electric performance vehicles, the Taycan is already plenty darn quick, so well see what one can do once it passes through Texas.Development of the Hennessey Taycan will begin in earnest once the first cars hit the U.S. in early
Origin: Texas tuner Hennessey to hit Porsche Taycan with style and performance upgrades
Texas shop plans to swap manuals into Ferrari 458 Italias
The Ferrari 458 Italia may have been born and bred in Maranello, Italy, but a select few are going to be spending some time being retrained at a small stable in San Antonio, Texas. European Auto Group (EAG) has announced its plans to be the first tuner to fit the Ferrari 458 Italia with a gated six-speed manual transmission. The 458’s naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 making 562 horsepower and just shy of 400 lb.-ft. of torque has always been commanded by the brand’s dual-clutch F1 tranny—until now. Carbuzz spoke with the shop’s owner, Art Bartosik, about the project. People are screaming for a manual 458 and 488. If the demand wasn’t there, we wouldn’t do it” he said. It won’t be easy, even if EAG’s portfolio includes a Ferrari F430 it converted into a manual, because the F430 already had a factory manual option available to work with. The 458 does not. This time around, Bartosik says, the “transmission in the 458 needs to be swapped out for a six-speed because it came with a dual-clutch.” The video above features the prototype, which is still in development. Bartosik says the company plans to convert “around 10 or 11 of them.” We’ve already got a list but people should start lining up out the door, he said. It’s going to be exclusive.” Deposits are being collected now, and these purist machines surely won’t be long on the market. Bartosik says that there are more swaps to come once they’re done with the 458s. The Lamborghini Huracan is definitely on the list.”
Origin: Texas shop plans to swap manuals into Ferrari 458 Italias
Texas shop plans to swap manuals into 458 Italias
The Ferrari 458 Italia may have been born and bred in Maranello, Italy, but a select few are going to be spending some time being retrained at a small stable in San Antonio, Texas. European Auto Group (EAG) has announced its plans to be the first tuner to fit the Ferrari 458 Italia with a gated six-speed manual transmission. The 458’s naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 making 562 horsepower and just shy of 400 lb.-ft. of torque has always been commanded by the brand’s dual-clutch F1 tranny—until now. Carbuzz spoke with the shop’s owner, Art Bartosik, about the project. People are screaming for a manual 458 and 488. If the demand wasn’t there, we wouldn’t do it” he said. It won’t be easy, even if EAG’s portfolio includes a Ferrari F430 it converted into a manual, because the F430 already had a factory manual option available to work with. The 458 does not. This time around, Bartosik says, the “transmission in the 458 needs to be swapped out for a six-speed because it came with a dual-clutch.” The video above features the prototype, which is still in development. Bartosik says the company plans to convert “around 10 or 11 of them.” We’ve already got a list but people should start lining up out the door, he said. It’s going to be exclusive.” Deposits are being collected now, and these purist machines surely won’t be long on the market. Bartosik says that there are more swaps to come once they’re done with the 458s. The Lamborghini Huracan is definitely on the list.”
Origin: Texas shop plans to swap manuals into 458 Italias
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