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The most powerful half-ton bakkie that can be bought straight off the showroom floor is now, well, more powerful and capable offroad.

We first wrote about the Ford Raptor in August, which at the time was sold with a thundering V8 to shift its weight. The 5.4-litre engine produces 231kW and 500Nm of torque.

The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor for 2010 changes all that. It is equipped with a 6.2-litre, V8 engine that pumps out 306kW and 588Nm of torque, making it the most powerful half-ton truck on the market.

Limited numbers

Ford Racing has spruced up this monstrous bakkie to make a FR Raptor XT model that offers the capabilities of a Baja race truck and the comfort of the production Raptor.

Just 50 units of the off-road-only truck will be produced, selling at about R790 000.

The new 6.2-litre is available from December 2009, although we doubt the local market will see even one of these bulks on the road.

Turnkey racer

Ford Racing will also soon make available the 2011 FR Raptor XT, which makes the standard model even more capable in the rough but doesn’t sacrifice the control and comfort.

Ford says the FR Raptor XT is virtually the same truck that finished the 2008 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. "Essentially, FR Raptor XT is a turnkey professional pre-runner," the company says in a statement.