The 'will they won't they' story of whether Ford will sell a Raptor version of the new Ranger in the United States seems to have landed firmly in the 'won't they' category, leaving many truck lovers disappointed. Even though the Ranger Raptor is sold in other markets with a 210 horsepower diesel engine, the little off-road truck likely won't arrive in the US where it could steal sales away from the F-150 Raptor.

We think Ford made the wrong decision not to sell the Ranger Raptor in the US because people would buy it if it was available. If you've been holding out hope for the chance to buy a Ranger Raptor of your own, we have good news because Texas-based tuner Hennessey has decided to offer a Ranger Raptor of its own.

Introducing the 2019 Hennessey VelociRaptor Ford Ranger, the most powerful Ranger money can buy. While all of those Europeans and Australians enjoy their 2.0-liter twin-turbo diesel engine with a measly 210 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, we'll take the VelociRaptor Ranger, which packs a tuned version of the US truck's 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four.

Hennessey has given the engine a new high-flow air induction system, less restrictive and better sounding stainless steel cat-back exhaust system, and ECU tuning, all of which adds up to a total output of 350 hp and 385 lb-ft of good old American torque. Take THAT rest of the world!

As a result of Hennessey's tuning, the Ranger can now hit 60 mph in just 6.1 seconds (down from 7.4 seconds in the stock truck) and is nearly as quick as the full-size Raptor (5.7 seconds to 60 mph). Hennessey hasn't just touched the engine, the VelociRaptor Ranger has been equipped with a Stage 1 off-road suspension upgrade (with a four-inch lift), 17-inch alloy wheels, upgraded BFG off-road tires, LED lights in the bumper, and optional lights on the roof as well as an optional winch. Of course, it also has the signature 'FORD' front grille from the big Raptor.

The price for all of these upgrades is $64,950, including a new 2019 Ford Ranger truck. If you've already bought a Ranger, the cost of the upgrade is $19,950 plus shipping. This makes it more expensive than a base F-150 Raptor but less expensive than a fully-loaded one. Hennessey says it will only build 500 units for the 2019 model year, so you better get your order in quickly. Each VelociRaptor Ranger comes with a three-year / 36,000-mile warranty.