Ford Raptor Mule

This Ford prototype has photographers intrigued. Its traits—the bulging hood, aggressive front fascia, hood-mounted air intake and venting just aft of the front wheelwell—resemble those of the GT500. What’s missing, however, is the GT500’s distinctive quad-exhaust setup. While the exhaust is in a similar location to that of the GT500, two of the prototype’s exhaust outlets are capped off. Could this possibly signal that Ford is testing a resurrected, turbocharged Mustang SVO?

The exhaust may have been capped for some type of emissions testing or some other engineering reason. Or the move down to two operational exhaust tips may signify that Ford is prepping a high-performance Mustang prototype—with a highly tuned four-cylinder or V6 engine—using similar chassis upgrades found on the coming GT500.

This F-150 test mule combines the aluminum Crew Cab from the 2015 F-150 with the front and rear sections from the current Ford Raptor. The new kick-up at the truck’s C-pillar and the transition between the cab and the front and rear fenders show that Ford is adapting the off-road-ready Raptor to the all-new F-Series platform.

The mule also shows signs of an altered hood with a camouflaged design marked by a noteworthy bump in the center. A new grille is also grafted on and sits between the headlights of the current Raptor. The grille behind the camouflage is revealed to have a mesh finish with a couple of horizontal bars. A closer look at this mule is needed to see what it’s really made of underneath. But for now, this appears to be evidence that a Raptor 2.0 is now a real project that looks destined for production.

GM Colorado, Canyon Diesel With VW Amarok

While the other Challenger variants were unveiled at the New York Auto Show, numerous Hellcat-powered Challengers are still running with heavy camouflage. Here are two Hellcat prototypes without a shred of meaningful camouflage, providing a near-showroom-ready look at the invigorated musclecar that is seeking to compete with the new Mustang GT500 and Camaro ZL1 and Z/28.

The Hellcat prototype was photographed with its hood raised earlier in the year, revealing its massive supercharger for the first and only time. With these latest shots, the powerful bodywork that will be covering the massive engine is evident. There are some reports that the Hellcat supercharged 6.2L V8 engine is capable of generating more output than the Viper’s powerplant, so it will be interesting to see what the final power numbers are when the car makes its official debut.

KGP Photography took these shots of GM testing prototypes for its diesel-powered Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon alongside Volkswagen’s Amarok pickup in Michigan. The revived Colorado and Canyon will use GM’s 2.8L Duramax Turbodiesel. The prototypes reveal the Colorado diesel’s venturi exhaust tip, which is likely to be the final production exhaust specification for the oil burners that are due to join the Colorado’s engine lineup in 2015.

The presence of the Amarok testing with GM’s new, U.S.-spec midsize pickups is interesting. Such testing will help GM see how it compares with the Amarok for global markets, but VW has also been discussing the possibility entering the U.S. truck market in the future. It’s highly unlikely that the current Amarok will see U.S. showrooms, as it is deemed too small for the North American market.