raving about fords new toy!
Born to Fly: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
born-to-fly-2010-ford-f-150-svt-raptor
Posted by Jared Holstein - November 04, 2008|12:01 am
Two words: Holy Shit. Let's just start off by saying we're a bit jaded, have driven cars with over 1000 horsepower, yadda yadda, and we only got to ride in the Raptor, not drive it. Gene Martindale, lead test driver for this SVT program, hit the speed limiter (that would be 100 mph) three times in our fairly short ride-- in the desert, floating over ruts, jumping gullies, and in general producing just about as many smiles per mile as possible. This is one of the most extreme vehicles Ford's Special Vehicle Team has come up with, which is not to say that it isn't all sorts of streetable (it is), but that the truck has gotten an extremely thorough rework. It doesn't just look big and mean, it is-- a full eight inches wider in front and rear, and features almost all new bodywork.
The Raptor will launch with a 310-horsepower 5.4L Triton V8 installed, but the 6.2L Boss engine will be available shortly, which is, of course, the only engine to have. This is not just because it makes north of 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque-- the thing sounds brawny as all hell, and very much like a legit pre-runner truck.
Soaking up the considerable velocity of which is this truck is capable is a trick and trick-looking suspension. The front suspension shares no parts with the standard F-150, features neat stuff like forged control arms, and uses Fox Racing Shox coilovers with internal bypass. Bespoke 35-inch tires feature a special compound and construction to facilitate great grip in the dirt and not hum like a cement truck on the highway.
I've had the chance to ride in a six-figure Baja 1000 pre-runner truck, and I can't say that it felt much more capable than the Raptor. The Raptor should cost less than $50K, a relative bargain considering what's installed, the off-road insanity it is perfectly comfortable performing, and the fact that there won't be a whole lot of them. This truck will obviously appeal most to people with vast expanses in their backyards or on the border with Mexico, although the copious suspension travel would be a great fit for the sinkhole factory that is New York City.
Think of the Raptor as a Porsche 911 GT3 for the dirt; street legal but much better suited to compressing space and time.
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