In case you hadn’t heard, Ford’s skunkworks known as SVT—Special Vehicles Team—is back. Well, it never really went away. SVT put its two cents in on the Ford GT and Shelby GT500, though neither of those vehicles wore an SVT badge. In fact there hasn’t been an SVT-badged Ford since the F-150 SVT Lightning and SVT Focus. Both were last produced in 2004.
Working with the new F-150 as its base, SVT has created what it thinks is the most off-road-ready production truck to hit the market. The heart of this truck is not the powertrain, as it was in previous SVT pickups, but its long-travel suspension. The Raptor boasts beefy cast-aluminum lower control arms up front and Fox Shox Racing dampers at all four corners—the rears have external reservoirs. When it’s all put together, the front suspension has 11.2 inches of travel, with 13.4 in the rear. That’s about 50 percent more than a standard F-150 with the FX4 off-road package.
Underneath the Raptor is the same frame that underpins the new F-150. The only modification made to the stock F-150 frame is aft of the rear axle, where the frame rails are splayed out slightly to make room for a full-size 35-inch spare tire. But the modifications to the rest of the truck are by no means short of serious. SVT even claims the mods to the Raptor are greater than any changes it has made to any other vehicle before.
Visually, the Raptor stands out from Ford’s other trucks. The all-black grille reads F O R D—absent is any blue oval. All of the quarter panels—the fronts are fiberglass—are unique to the Raptor, complete with giant fender flares that encase a seven-inch growth in track over the standard F-150. The hood receives the ubiquitous vent treatment, but unlike many vents on cars today, the Raptor’s are functional. There is also a vinyl graphic splashed across the rear quarters that was inspired by snowboard design. The Raptor will only be available in SuperCab form.
The front bucket seats received bolster treatment and the steering wheel has an on-center marker at 12 o’clock, just in case drivers get so crossed up they need a reminder of which way to point the wheel.
The Raptor is also equipped with a dedicated stability control system that has a competition mode, but in the Raptor it is called “off-road” mode. In the same way a competition mode raises the intervention threshold, off-road mode lets the driver hang it out. The ABS system is even tuned for off-road driving.
Like other recently introduced products from Ford—the Flex and Lincoln MKS—the Raptor will go on sale with one engine, only to get the optional, more powerful, and more desirable engine some months later. This summer, early adopters will get a 320-hp, 390-lb-ft version of Ford’s SOHC 5.4-liter V-8. For those that show some patience, an all-new SOHC 6.2-liter V-8 making an estimated 400 horses and an equal number of lb-ft of torque will be added to the options list sometime during the winter of 2010, possibly wearing a “Boss” badge.
Expect the three-ton truck to ring in near $40,000—a price SVT claims is affordable.
Working with the new F-150 as its base, SVT has created what it thinks is the most off-road-ready production truck to hit the market. The heart of this truck is not the powertrain, as it was in previous SVT pickups, but its long-travel suspension. The Raptor boasts beefy cast-aluminum lower control arms up front and Fox Shox Racing dampers at all four corners—the rears have external reservoirs. When it’s all put together, the front suspension has 11.2 inches of travel, with 13.4 in the rear. That’s about 50 percent more than a standard F-150 with the FX4 off-road package.
Underneath the Raptor is the same frame that underpins the new F-150. The only modification made to the stock F-150 frame is aft of the rear axle, where the frame rails are splayed out slightly to make room for a full-size 35-inch spare tire. But the modifications to the rest of the truck are by no means short of serious. SVT even claims the mods to the Raptor are greater than any changes it has made to any other vehicle before.
Visually, the Raptor stands out from Ford’s other trucks. The all-black grille reads F O R D—absent is any blue oval. All of the quarter panels—the fronts are fiberglass—are unique to the Raptor, complete with giant fender flares that encase a seven-inch growth in track over the standard F-150. The hood receives the ubiquitous vent treatment, but unlike many vents on cars today, the Raptor’s are functional. There is also a vinyl graphic splashed across the rear quarters that was inspired by snowboard design. The Raptor will only be available in SuperCab form.
The front bucket seats received bolster treatment and the steering wheel has an on-center marker at 12 o’clock, just in case drivers get so crossed up they need a reminder of which way to point the wheel.
The Raptor is also equipped with a dedicated stability control system that has a competition mode, but in the Raptor it is called “off-road” mode. In the same way a competition mode raises the intervention threshold, off-road mode lets the driver hang it out. The ABS system is even tuned for off-road driving.
Like other recently introduced products from Ford—the Flex and Lincoln MKS—the Raptor will go on sale with one engine, only to get the optional, more powerful, and more desirable engine some months later. This summer, early adopters will get a 320-hp, 390-lb-ft version of Ford’s SOHC 5.4-liter V-8. For those that show some patience, an all-new SOHC 6.2-liter V-8 making an estimated 400 horses and an equal number of lb-ft of torque will be added to the options list sometime during the winter of 2010, possibly wearing a “Boss” badge.
Expect the three-ton truck to ring in near $40,000—a price SVT claims is affordable.
Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their large selection of Ford F150 Parts.
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