There’re few things we love more than being on the cutting edge of performance innovation and development. There’s something about this (paraphrased) series of lines from Jeremy Irons’ character in the film Margin Call that resonates with us …. “There’s three ways to make a living in this business; be first, be smarter, or cheat… and it sure is a hell of a lot easier to just be first.” That’s the basic philosophy that has lead our in our Bronco Raptor build, and today we’re carrying it forward in the realm of the F-150 Raptor R.
The R-R is Ford Performance’s latest creation, which combines the body and running gear of a Raptor 37 with the power plant of an S550 GT500 Mustang. The addition of the 5.2L Supercharged V8 engine has propelled the Raptor R to the top of the list of Ford’s I’d love to own. However, that’s a story for another day in the very near future. Today we have an R strapped to 5 Star Tuning’s dyno for some cutting edge testing of VMP Performance Predator...
Last week we stopped by the Charlotte Motor Speedway to witness the debut of the upcoming Mustang Dark Horse R. A few minutes after 7:00pm on a Thursday evening the Ford Performance brass rolled out the red carpet for the latest factory built race car to enter the FPRP catalog. But the DH-R announcement was accompanied by some very interesting news. That being, IMSA has partnered with Ford to establish a spec-racing series designed especially for purchasers of the Dark Horse R.
As long time fans of World Challenge and GT3 racing, we are definitely looking forward to traveling to a few IMSA Mustang Challenge races in the near future. We’ve been talking to a handful of well known Mustang-fielding race teams over the weekend, and it looks like we may see some familiar faces on the starting grid behind the wheel of the Dark Horse R. That’s something certainly worth looking forward to.
If you’re interest in the full specs of the DH-R, you can find them by...
Ford Performance today reveals the all-new Mustang Dark Horse™ R, offering the most demanding track enthusiasts a turn-key race car ready to compete in the all-new Mustang Challenge spec racing series, just for Mustang Dark Horse R and sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA).
"Mustang Dark Horse R bridges the gap between Dark Horse and Mustang GT3 and GT4," stated Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Production-based Mustang vehicles have raced from the very beginning, all the way back to winning the 1964 Tour de France, even. Dark Horse R offers our passionate customers not just an attainable, factory-built race car, but also a racing series to compete with other Mustang enthusiasts.”
Mustang Dark Horse R Ready for the Track
With the Ford Mustang Dark Horse joining the herd as the most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever, Dark Horse R is a natural extension of the capabilities found in every Dark Horse...
In the late 1970s, Ford introduced the Free Wheeling package on F-100, F-150, Bronco, Econoline van, and more. The limited-run trim level featured graphics with red, orange and yellow gradients. The colorful option packs also added painted steel wheels, and black finishes on the grilles, mirrors, and bumpers. Inside the vehicle featured red and orange pinstriping on the dash and seat stitching.
“Bronco customers appreciate its heritage,” said Jason Hyde, Bronco Sport Marketing Manager. “After such a great response to the reimagined Bronco Sport Free Wheeling project vehicle in 2021, we decided to bring this special edition that ties Bronco Sport to its fun loving roots.”
The red, orange, and yellow sunset-inspired stripes became a focal point of the 1970s package.
“The Ford Free Wheeling package was developed to appeal to younger customers,” said Ted Ryan, Archives and Heritage Brand Manager for Ford. “The Free Wheeling Broncos were as popular as they were distinctive.”
During the recent NMRA event in Norwalk, OH we ran into a new offering for the Ford Performance enthusiast community. A pre-production Ranger Raptor was on premises, having been driven down by a Ford employee. We had the opportunity to give it a fairly close inspection, and I have to say I like what I saw.
Size wise, it is very similar to a PN-96 F-150. The Raptor’ization of the Ranger is much more conservative than what was bestowed on the Bronco Raptor. It is slimmer and wears smaller 33-inch tires. I believe this will ultimately make it more practical as a truck, while still maintaining impressive off-road capabilities. The rear suspension design appears to be a modified version of that found in some foreign market Ford trucks/SUVs, and it looks to be stoutly built.
The 3.0L EcoBoost V6 has been great in our Bronco Raptor, and puts in serious work in the Explorer ST. I suspect it will perform well in the Ranger Raptor. The interior is also greatly improved over that of the...
Firsts are important. Your first car, the first man on the moon, the first man to break the sound barrier; you know them all by heart. But do you know where the first Fox-Body built now lives? We happened to stumble across that particular piece of history while strolling through the Mustang Alley section of National Parts Depot’s massive collection of 200+ cars.
This particular car is 2nd level cool. Taken on its own, it is completely unassuming. On the surface it appears to be just a well preserved example of an early Fox Mustang with several now-rare options. However, when you dive into the history the story gets a little deeper. This video covers the particulars:
The options and early build features of this car is what really makes it stand out to me. I can’t tell you the last time I saw a Fox Mustang with a color matched vinyl roof fitted with a sun-roof. The turbo-4 under the hood was an interesting engine option for the...
It may not be what she was designed for, but the Bronco Raptor is shaping up to be quite the surprise on the strip. A few weeks back, with the help of a Whipple tune and intercooler combo, we set what we believed to be the current ¼ mile record with our BRaptor. A cool night in Darlington, SC yielded a best run of 13.93 @ 98.06 MPH. However, we always felt there was at least another tenth on the table if the launch could be better dialed-in.
The idea for the SVT 30th Anniversary Reunion Car Show was conceived during a conversation with the NMRA staff at PRI 2022. After several months of preparation and promotion, the event took place at NMRA’s Norwalk, OH race just a few days ago. For a first time event, the results were impressive.
We had quite a few very nice SVT vehicles in the show field, including one of every color 1993 SVT Cobra Mustang produced. Several clean Terminators and nicely modded SN-95 Cobras were represented, as were both generations of SVT Lightning.
Beyond seeing some very nice cars, including those in the main car show field and in the pits, it was great meeting SVT owners and talking about their cars. If you get a chance, you really should try to make it out to one of these shows. Until then, check out the pics and vids we shot at SVT 30th Anniversary Reunion Car Show during NMRA Norwalk 2023:
We all know “that guy”. The one who used to have a sweet car in the garage, but now he’s had to give it up in order to live the life of a responsible family man. Deep down he still wants to build a nasty little street Mustang, but the wife says the family needs a more civilized car. But what if you could pull off something close to both? That’s the narrative I constructed in my head when I first laid eyes on what the NPD guys called the Motorsports Lincoln.
This silver Fox-body was one of many Lincoln Continentals in the National Parts Depot collection. It is one of many ultra-low mileage rigs on display, this one only showing ~500 miles. The interior still smells new. At first glance, it appears to just be super clean example of the 7th Generation Continental. However, when you start looking under the hood with the eyes of a Ford Performance enthusiast you’ll see that this one appears to have had the Ford Motorsports catalog thrown at it. Just see for yourself:
The 2023 Edition of NMRA’s Norwalk, OH event was one for the history books. It was a celebration of several significant anniversaries in the Ford community, including the SVT 30th Anniversary Reunion Car Show. The Summit Motorsports Park facilities are simply second-to-none, and a great location for performance oriented events. The grounds are impeccably maintained, the track is properly prepped, and they sell gourmet ice cream for $3/pint.
The car show brought out some truly special vehicles. From classic Cobra Jets to the Legendary Boss 10 and Sudden Death, there was something for everyone to enjoy. The drag racing was on point, with many in the heads-up classes pushing their setups beyond their limits. This was certainly one event we were glad we attended, and it makes us look forward to cooler weather and more racing action when we head to the NMRA race in Bowling Green, KY later this year.
Until then, check out the pics and vids we shot at NMRA Norwalk 2023...
You’ve been hearing it from us here on SVTP for years; the Holy Trinity of starter mods is Intake, Tune, and Exhaust. Tackling those three areas will typically show decent gains on any vehicle. When it comes to our project Bronco Raptor, besides our Whipple Intercooler and Turbosmart BOV, there’s not much on the market intake wise (yet). And you guys have seen us lay down massive gains with a Whipple Calibration. But just a few days ago we were able to snag an early set of SPD Performance Downpipes fitted with High-Flow GESI cats. The exhaust side of the more-power equation was now open for business.
It’s been no secret that the factory downpipes found on many EcoBoost engines can hamper performance. They are designed with packaging, NVH, and assembly constraints that the aftermarket can simply sidestep. As such, companies like SPD Performance have found great success developing higher-flowing replacement systems for many Ford platforms. Their latest venture into the Blue Oval...
If you’re going to have classic cars, it’s probably a good idea to have some classic tools to keep them running. That’s exactly what we found when we strolled into the shop area of the National Parts Depot 200+ vehicle deep car collection. With all these cars under one roof, it’s not surprising that they have a full shop right in the middle of it all and man whose full-time job is caring for the mechanical condition of each piece on display.
So it’s not surprising that NPD has a collection of vintage shop tools that you’re just not going to find in a typical shop. Have a car with way-pre-OBD II fuel injection? They have a diagnostic computer that size of a small truck that can print out sensor data for you? Need to set the dwell on a points style distributor? They have what’s essentially a distributor dyno to help you make adjustments. This vid gives you a good idea of what they have to work with in the shop:
This one is near and dear to my heart. Every time I’ve ordered a new Ford I’ve requested the dealership not PDI (dealer-prep) my new ride. What can I say? I prefer to unwrap my presents myself. So when I spotted this 35th Anniversary 1990 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe in the National Parts Depot collection I knew I had to learn its story.
From afar the black T-bird appears to have some major paint/clearcoat issues. However, looks are deceiving in this case. What seems to be Florida sun burnt paint is actually a coating applied by Ford during assembly. It was designed to protect the car’s finish during delivery, and was intended to be removed by the dealer during PDI.
That’s where things really start to make sense. In the days before peeling off shrink wrap, your local dealer had the lowest guy on the totem pole doing his best to remove this spray on coating with whatever tools and skills he had at hand. You can imagine how many black cars left...
The wait is over; the all-new 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor is coming to North America. Raptor is based on a proven legacy of performance and built with uncompromised suspension design, power, purposeful technology, and rugged styling. Ranger Raptor is fully prepared to take on the most demanding terrain its extreme adventure-seeking customers can find.
The heart of every Raptor is its suspension. Ranger Raptor starts with a purpose-built suspension that includes lightweight aluminum upper and lower control arms and a long-travel rear suspension with a Watts linkage and trailing arms for control and confidence in off-road conditions.
Ranger Raptor’s next-generation FOX™ 2.5-inch Live Valve Internal Bypass shocks are coil-overs at the front and piggyback reservoirs at the rear to reduce heat build-up for uninterrupted performance all day long. ...
Unicorns do exist. That’s the first thing that came to mind when I spotted the oh-so-subtle Diesel badge on the rear of an otherwise unassuming 1984 Lincoln Continental in National Parts Depots world renowned car collection. Did you know Lincoln made a diesel car in the mid-80s? Did you know that Ford actually build a diesel powered Fox-Body? I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t, because this is actually the first one I have ever seen in person.
This particular car is one of many Lincolns in the NPD collection. Rick, the owner of NPD, seems to favor the brand. This is one of several examples of Mark VII Continental on display, and beyond the 2.4L diesel under the hood it’s pretty inconspicuous. It has a little mileage on the clock, and presents as a very clean used luxury car. Unlike many cars in the collection, this one does get driven from time to time.
The real story about this car is the engine. For only 2 years Ford...
It’s about time for use to circle back to this one. Back in the Spring we took a look at a fairly loaded Ford Maverick that was on the dyno being tuned by the guys over at 5 Star Tuning in Florence, SC. We covered what we could at the time, but that didn’t include getting it out on the street for a drive. What a difference a few months will make. This time around they just threw me the keys, #winning.
Your guys have probably seen some of my past Maverick coverage. It started off cold, but the more time I’ve spent with Ford’s latest little truck the more I’ve warmed to it. It definitely has its place in the line-up, and it’s hard to argue with its value. Still; as with any stock vehicle, there’s room for improvement. That’s where aftermarket tuners like 5 Star Tuning come in to the picture.
In stock form the Maverick is a little low on power and responsiveness compared to what we know the 2.0L Ecoboost is capable of in other...
A little rain had no chance of dampening the weekend of fun that was the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals in Rockingham, NC. After a moist start to the weekend the racing action kicked off in perfect Southern Spring weather on Sat. We made the short drive north to meet up with long-time friends and take in the festivities. This is the 2nd year of this event, and I'm pleased to report that it appears to be growing in popularity. The track owners have made significant investments in the facilities (including an 1/8 mile of new concrete racing surface) and the local community is significantly coming out to support the race.
We took a walk through the relocated car show field, and found quite a few nice rides. For 2023, the organizers moved the show to the top of the hill which makes up the left lane grandstands. This was a great move because that area has plenty of seating, restrooms, and several food vendors available to keep everyone happy. Check out the video walk-through we...
Few things in auto repair can be more frustrating than trying to track down an electrical problem. If you’re dealing with some previously modified wiring it can be even more fun. If this is an issue you’re facing, chances are you’ll be making some splices. Wiring work is simply a fact of life if you spend enough time in the car modding game, and there’s one cardinal rule that must be followed : “Do it once, and do it right.” The last thing you want to have to do is tear back into some custom wiring later on down the road.
To that end, we’ve started using a newer style of butt connector in all of our wire splices. Gone are the days of the broke ass standard crimp style connector, and we’ve even retired the marine style connector with integrated heat-shrink sheathing and waterproof sealant. The best product out there now combines the features of the marine style connector with a little ring of heat activated solder in the center of the connector. The idea being that once the wires...
Anyone who works in industry or passed a 4th grade science class should be familiar with the Fire Triangle. In order to produce fire you need heat, fuel, and a source of oxygen. In a gasoline engine those roles are filled by your ignition spark, atomized gasoline, and intake air respectively. Testing for the presence of air and fuel in your engine is pretty simple, though making sure your spark plugs are firing can be a bit more challenging. Today I’m going to show you two simple ways determine whether or not you’re getting spark.
First, I recently picked up this Lisle Spark Plug Tester (P/N 20610) from Amazon for about $10. It’s a pretty simple in-line device that slips between the spark plug and coil or wire. If your coil is sending current to the plug the little bulb inside the tester will light up. It’s pretty simple. It does have a few limitations though. First, it’s not able to diagnose an issue with the spark plug itself. So if your plug is heavily fouled or damaged it may...
They say good things come to those who wait. Well in my experience patience and performance are two difficult concepts to mix, but when done properly the results can be quite rewarding. As most of the SVTP faithful know, aftermarket tuning on many late model Fords can be a bit tricky. Gone are the days of bringing a pulley and Diablo Predator to the dealership and modding your Terminator before you leave the lot. We now live in a world of encrypted ECUs and waiting for the aftermarket to crack the code. Luckily for us, Whipple Superchargers has just released their performance calibration for the Bronco Raptor and we happened to get our hands on one of the first units for our in-house BRaptor.
We’ve been steadily modding our Bronco Raptor over the past few months, and even threw more boost at it with a piggy-back device. However, a full tune is always preferable because it allows you to adjust aspects that effect the driving dynamics in a way that is beyond the capabilities of a...
