With the long awaited announcement of the 2017 Ford Raptor at the North American International Auto Show, enthusiasts and the media alike were given a small taste of what’s to come in the second generation of Ford’s popular off roader.

While most of us thought the Raptor had been laid to rest with the outgoing F150 platform, Ford had other ideas in mind as they not only made a Raptor on the new 2015 platform, but they essentially surpassed the expectations of all mortals. One of the biggest surprises with the second generation Raptor was in the power train department as Ford said “bye bye” to the 6.2-liter V8 paired with the six-speed automatic found in the outgoing platform. In its place, Ford decided to go with a Raptor-specific 3.5-liter EcoBoost paired to an all new 10-speed automatic transmission.

The new power plant is all well and good, but Ford failed to mention any type of figures at the NAIAS other than that it will have more power than the outgoing 6.2-liter V8’s 411 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. Well, that all changed this weekend when Ford’s Group Vice President and Chief Technical Officer Raj Nair accidentally spilled the beans on Fox Sports admitting the 2017 Raptor will pack 450 hp. That’s some serious power output from the high-strung EcoBoost and we can’t wait to get our hands on one – even though there won’t be that all too thrilling V8 music.

Keep it locked on Offroad Xtreme for more 2017 Raptor news as it develops!