The new Ford F-150 Raptor bares its fangs Feb. 3: UPDATE

The ultimate battle of the desert-storming pickups is heating up. Ford’s third-gen F-150 Raptor is officially due this Wednesday, February 3, 2021.

Ford is remaining tight-lipped until the official reveal, but the teaser photo above shows a close-up of the next-gen Raptor’s maw. Changes to the grille appear incremental: squared-off framing between the F O R D lettering, a larger triplet of amber lights, and headlights that, from the smidge we can see here, appear to resemble those on other 2021 F-150s (the Tremor is shown below).

Expect the Raptor to sport a hard-edged visage that contrasts sharply with the softer—though still intimidating—snout of Ram’s 1500 TRX. There should be fender flares aplenty, though, and we might even get a supercharged V-8 battle in the dunes and mud: We spotted this Raptor tester in the wild a few weeks ago, and it didn’t sound like the engine was singing a V-6 tune. Could Ford be unleashing the GT500’s 5.2-liter Predator to take on the TRX’s 6.2-liter Hemi? We can only hope.

The new Raptor may also adopt a coil-spring rear suspension, like the TRX—that same test truck wore some pretty heavy camouflage out back.

Thankfully, the wait is almost over. We’ll meet you back here Wednesday to discuss the new Raptor in full detail after its reveal.

UPDATE 1/29: Ford CEO Jim Farley dropped this teaser video on his Twitter account early this afternoon. The moody image clarifies the headlight “spear” on either side of the grille that characterizes the new 2021 F-150 fascia. Squint, and you can distinguish what appear to be decals splashed across the truck’s rear fenders—no surprise there, given the trend set by the second-gen Raptor. Blindingly bright LED lamps and an aggressive stance are only appropriate.

Enter Sandman! The all-new Raptor debuts Feb. 3! #F150Raptor pic.twitter.com/u1Gd0ZFeCw

— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) January 29, 2021