The Ford Maverick is available with up to 250 horsepower from its 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-four, but Tucci Hot Rods is building a radically different version with more than three times that output.

The Wild V8 Ford Maverick

Dave and Dominick Tucci, the father-and-son team behind Tucci Hot Rods, are preparing the modified Maverick for this year’s SEMA Show, scheduled for November 3–6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The duo previously brought a custom Maverick to SEMA in 2021. This time, however, they have taken the compact pickup’s powertrain to an entirely different level with a major engine swap.

The project replaces the Maverick’s original engine with a 5.0-liter Coyote V8, the same engine used in the Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse. The V8 is paired with a heavy-duty ZF 8HP70 transmission.

Twin Turbos Push Output Past 800 HP

The Coyote engine produced up to 500 horsepower in the Mustang Dark Horse, but Tucci Hot Rods has added twin turbochargers to push the Maverick’s output beyond 800 horsepower.

That represents more than three times the 250 horsepower available from the stock Maverick equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine.

Making an engine swap of this scale work required significant modifications. The transmission tunnel was reworked to accommodate the new hardware, while the firewall was also modified for the same reason.

Tucci Maverick Project Heads to SEMA

The build is still ongoing, with additional modifications yet to be completed. The finished truck is expected to be revealed at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where Tucci Hot Rods will showcase the result of its extensive work on the Maverick.