Someone Put a Coyote V8 in a Ford Maverick — And Two Turbos Are Coming Next

The Ford Maverick was never meant to be a performance truck, but Tucci Hot Rods clearly has different plans. The New York-based shop is putting a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 into the compact pickup, and it plans to add twin turbos before showing the finished truck at SEMA in Las Vegas this November.

The Maverick currently comes with either a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 250 hp and 277 lb-ft or a 2.5-liter hybrid making 191 hp. Those engines make sense for a small pickup, but Tucci wanted something with a lot more character. The shop has already fitted the Coyote V8, replacing the original 2.0-liter engine.

This is actually the same widebody Maverick Tucci unveiled at SEMA in 2021. Getting the V8 into the engine bay took some work. The shop had to modify the transmission tunnel and firewall, then build custom engine mounts to position the engine correctly.

The V8 will be paired with a ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic transmission. Tucci also plans to add two turbochargers, although it hasn’t revealed the final power figure yet. Other changes should include upgraded brakes and suspension, a new exhaust system, and additional cooling to handle the extra output.

The project should be finished in time for its SEMA debut. Ford has no V8 Maverick in its lineup, so this build gives us a pretty good idea of what happens when someone decides the smallest truck in the range needs a very different engine.