Reader Spy: U.S. Border Patrol finally gets its leatherless Ford Raptors
Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Work, Ford, Off-Road
U.S. Border Patrol Ford Raptors being delivered - Click above for image gallery
What the U.S. Federal Government wants, the U.S. Federal Government gets. And what the Customs and Border Protection division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wanted were at least 10 Ford SVT Raptor pickup trucks to patrol the area where Arizona borders with Mexico. Only problem is that Ford puts a standard leather interior in all its Raptor trucks, which is evidently against the ordering preferences of the Feds.
So, what to do? Put in an extra-special order with Ford, make a few phone calls (give us what we want... or else...) and patiently await delivery - a truckload of specially liveried pickups that Autoblog reader Matt happened photograph and send in to us. We went ahead and contacted Ford to be sure that it managed to deliver the authorities the Raptors it wanted, and we got an affirmative... sort of.
Ford would need the actual Vehicle Identification Numbers of the trucks to confirm individual equipment levels, and we're not about to march on down to Southern Arizona to grab them. But Ford says the Feds did order Raptors without leather and that the Blue Oval Bosses complied. So we're going with a definite probably. Have a look for yourself below. Thanks for the pics, Matt!
Reader Spy: U.S. Border Patrol finally gets its leatherless Ford Raptors originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsProCharger supercharges the SVT Raptor up to 600 horsepower
Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Ford, Off-Road
ProCharger Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - Click above for high-res image gallery
For most people, the 6.2-liter V8 with 411 horsepower in the Ford SVT Raptor is plenty. Others, like our own Jeremy Korzenewski, who said as much in his recent review of the Raptor, think that it still needs more power. The solution? ProCharger, a Kansas-based company that has been adding forced induction to just about everything under the sun for the last 16 years, has developed a range of centrifugal supercharger systems for the Raptor good for up to 600 horsepower on pump gas. The 5.4 guys haven't been left out either, with a 505-horsepower system available for the smaller V8.
Each of the packages includes ProCharger's self-contained supercharger, a front-mounted air-to-air intercooler, larger fuel injectors and new programming for the engine's computer. ProCharger says that the engine bay maintains an OEM appearance (it actually looks quite a bit better in our opinion), and that the blower easily fits underneath the stock hood. Pricing starts $5,446 for a tune-it-yourself kit for the 5.4-liter V8 while the full system for the 6.2-liter V8 will run you $6,496. Hit the jump for official details in the press release.
[Source: ProCharger]
Continue reading ProCharger supercharges the SVT Raptor up to 600 horsepower
ProCharger supercharges the SVT Raptor up to 600 horsepower originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsReview: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor 6.2
Filed under: Performance, Truck, Ford, Reviews, Off-Road
Frequent Flying In Ford's Factory Baja Blaster
2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor 6.2 - Click above for high-res image gallery
A scant 30 minutes had passed after taking possession of this 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor until we had all four of its wheels off the ground. We'd have done the deed even sooner, but our destination - a Baja-style test track in the middle of the desert outside Phoenix, Arizona - was, understandably, far enough out of town that no locals would be able to complain of excessive noise or mini dust tornadoes encroaching on their own tracts of brush-filled paradise.
After all, the modern conveniences of day-to-day life just don't mix with such uncivilized activities as seeing how much air you can put between your truck's skid plates and solid ground.And therein lies the beauty of this particular beast. Since when did such niceties as in-dash navigation with voice-activated SYNC, a leather interior with heated seats, dual-zone climate control and satellite radio count as standard equipment in a truck that was built primarily for 100-mile-per-hour blasts through the desert?
Since late 2009, actually, when FoMoCo unleashed the first version of the F-150 SVT Raptor on an unsuspecting public. Unlike all previous products from Ford's Specialty Vehicle Team, including the F-150-based SVT Lightning, this truck does its best work once the pavement ends and the really nasty stuff begins.
It's no secret that we've loved the Raptor ever since our first experience behind the wheel, and now it's better than ever before. How so? Keep reading to find out.
Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips and Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL
Continue reading Review: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor 6.2
Review: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor 6.2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsReport: 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew to start at $44,315*
Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Ford, Off-Road
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew- Click above for high-res image gallery
Ready to go stompin' around with your friends in a Baja-blastin' Ford SVT Raptor, but don't know how much you'll need to plunk down for the new-for-2011 four-door SuperCrew? Grab your pen and your checkbook, then write down 4-4-3-1-5.
Pricing has just been announced for the newly expanded range. The MSRP on the roomier four-door SuperCrew is priced at $44,315 while the shorter extended-cab Raptor SuperCab will cost a bit less at $41,550. (*In either case, destination and delivery charges will add a further $975 to the bottom line.)
Both 2011 Raptors are now powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine that's rated at 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque. The less powerful 5.4-liter unit found on last year's model is no longer available.
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
Report: 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew to start at $44,315* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8
Ford 6.2-liter V8 - Click above for high-res image gallery
During Ford's announcement of the new powertrain lineup for the 2011 F-150 yesterday, we learned that the new 6.2-liter V8 would only be available in the SVT Raptor, Harley-Davidson and F-150 Platinum models. In the Platinum, the 6.2-liter engine will be an option for those who select the maximum towing package.
However, for the Raptor and Harley models, the big 6.2-liter will now be the only engine available. Since the two limited edition machines are considered premium products, Ford has decided that they should only get the most powerful engine that company will offer in its trucks for 2011. That almost certainly means that the base price of the 2011 Raptor will at least match the $3,000 price premium that was charged for the 2010 SVT Raptor with the then-optional 6.2-liter V8.
[Source: Ford]
2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsAutomobile checks in for border control duty with Ford F-150 Raptor
Filed under: Performance, Truck, Etc., Government/Legal, Ford, Off-Road
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor serves and protects
Aside from the recent dust-up over immigration law in Arizona, we've heard very little about America's efforts on border patrol lately. Where once we heard all about fences, militia parties and night-vision, now the collective media consciousness is focused elsewhere. That doesn't mean that the challenges facing border patrol have exactly evaporated, of course. The men and women charged with keeping an eye on the line between the U.S. and Mexico still face mile upon mile of some of the most grueling terrain on the planet, which is exactly why the Yuma Sheriff went ahead and ordered up a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor before the official government-issue fleet arrives.
Automobile Magazine's Eszra Dyer decided to tag along with Major Leon Wilmot to see how the truck handles itself in an official capacity and just what this border patrol business is all about. As it turns out, the majority of the operation is concerned with large expanses of sand, moon dust, non-exploded ordinance and the cleverness of a people who want nothing more to outwit American law enforcement. If you've got a hot second, click over to Automobile for a quick read.
[Source: Automobile Magazine]
Automobile checks in for border control duty with Ford F-150 Raptor originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsHennessey slaps a pair of turbos on Ford’s Raptor 6.2 [w/Video]
Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Truck, Ford, Off-Road
Hennessey VelociRaptor 600 - Click above to watch the video after the jump
Well of course they did. If John Hennessey is known for anything, it's strictly adhering to the "Needs more power!" motif. This guy could watch a shuttle launch and return to his lab plotting a third booster. So yes, Hennessey has slapped two turbochargers onto Ford's batty-yet-burly F150-mutant Raptor 6.2 and produced the VelociRaptor 600 and 800, two products that will nicely compliment the existing Hennessey VelociRaptor 500, a supercharged version of the Raptor 5.4.
Through the magic of forced induction, power grows from the 6.2-liter V8 Raptor's stock 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque to a slightly-goofy 602 hp and 622 lb-ft of twist in the V-Rap 600. Not enough for you? Hennessey either, which is why he's also selling the VelociRaptor 800. Get all the liquids out of your mouth now, as the engine stonks it up to the Texas-sized tune of 810 hp and 745 lb-ft of torque. Can we borrow an exclamation point?
We know what you're thinking -- the Bentley Mulsane's twin-turbo V8 makes 752 pound-feet of torque, besting the Hennessey 800 by seven pounds of twisting force. However, the Hennessey VelociRaptor 800 makes 305 more ponies than the British thoroughbred, weighs less (what doesn't?) and can keep up with the hounds no matter the fox hunt. That said, the Muslanne has a nicer interior. Think we're being silly? We are, because engines like this bend our minds a bit. Remember, 810 hp is nearly 100 hp more than a Ferrari 599XX.
But what if you already have a Raptor 6.2, want more power but don't want two turbochargers? Again, no problem, as Hennessey is also announcing the VelociRaptor 475, that through better breathing and some reprogramming, ups the big V8's output to 475 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque. Dang. Watch the video after the jump.
[Source: Hennessey]
Continue reading Hennessey slaps a pair of turbos on Ford's Raptor 6.2 [w/Video]
Hennessey slaps a pair of turbos on Ford's Raptor 6.2 [w/Video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsReader Spy: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew spotted naked and unashamed
Filed under: Spy Photos, Truck, Ford, Off-Road
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew - Click above for high-res image gallery
Autoblog reader Geo happened to be cruising on I-275 in Detroit last week when he was passed by a convoy of Ford F-150 pickups. Snugged smack dab in the middle was none other than the upcoming F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew without a stitch of camouflage to cover those two extra doors. Geo did what any good enterprising AB reader would do and clicked a couple of photos as the desert-crushing truck blew by.
The prototype in the photos has ditched the outlandish graphics of its shorter brother, but it still looks just as mean, and it's even slathered in silver paint, a color that isn't currently available. If the badge on the fender is any indication, this particular example packs the same 411-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 mill we were fortunate enough to sample not too long ago, which means it should have no problem jumping over hill and dale. If ever there was a backyard party on four wheels, this is it.
Reader Spy: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCrew spotted naked and unashamed originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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