Photography by Brian Vance
"I mean, this is amazing, right?" shouts SVT Vehicle Dynamics engineer, Ford Tier 3-certified test driver, and possible asylum candidate Gene Martindale over the din of 35-inch tires pulverizing desert gravel.
Amazing? No, this is utterly ridiculous. It's 106 degrees F, and we're streaking across the rock- and sand-strewn frying pan that is Borrego Springs, California, in August. It's absolutely miserable out here, so hot and dry the scorpions have taken refuge under the sidewinders. Word is, Blackwater mercenaries train in this unforgiving desert because it makes Kandahar look like Club Med.
You'd never know it from inside our truck. The A/C is blowing ice cold, and Gene keeps his right foot flat as we literally glide over whoop after whoop (an off-road-racing term for the thousands of beige speed bumps scattered before us). Whoops vary in size and composition, from small ones made of storm-piled sand to taller berms packed down by dirtbike and buggy tires, but all can seriously cripple a vehicle if taken at speed.
We're doing 100 mph. At half this rate, any regular truck would explosively dismantle as fast, hard, and repeated hits induce massive and comprehensive suspension or tire failure. Our truck simply strides over them, with some turbulence for us in the cabin, but without any gut wrenching, bolt stripping, metal-on-metal indications of imminent disaster.
Well, except for Gene. He keeps hollering and looking over to gauge my reaction. Because of my helmet, he can't see the big, goofy grin on my face, nor does he realize I'm not ignoring him. I'm quietly scanning the horizon for the next big hit. Apparently, he takes my stoicism as evidence that I'm not having fun, and since we're already at Vmax, he decides to show me what a little full-throttle opposite lock can do.
It's when we launch off a huge whoop while yawed at 45 degrees, that I realize I should let Gene know how much I'm enjoying myself. While I'd like to die with a smile on my face, I'd rather it not be in this godforsaken place. I let off a whoop of my own, and his response is an immediate and gleeful, "I know, right? You just can't do that in any other truck!"
The Raptor name owes its creation to a bean counter, a finance guy on the SVT team who thought it would make a good code name while they thought up another moniker. The names Terminator and Condor (the latter soar over the Anza Borrego desert test facility) were considered, but the Raptor name stuck--though not without difficulty. Boutique sports-car manufacturer Mosler owned the rights to the name but settled with Ford/SVT.
• Other Raptors include the Toronto NBA team, a Yamaha ATV, the Air Force's F-22 stealth fighter jet, and a roller coaster in Sandusky, Ohio--though Ford's is the only one with 35-inch claws.
• With the exception of the headlights, the Raptor is unique from the F-150 from the A-pillar forward. The vented hood, composite fenders with heat extractors, front fascia, and front bumper are all Raptor exclusives. That front bumper is Ford's first use of high-strength hydroformed steel as an exterior panel.
• Raptors are built right alongside all other F-150s at Ford's Dearbon Truck Plant. Despite the significantly widened track and fenders and lengthened and strengthened suspension components, the Raptor retains nearly all the factory mounting points from the F-150. In fact the frame required no additional drilling, welding, or cutting of. Only the front shock towers needed top-mounted spacers to give the Fox shocks the necessary, wider angle. Giving the Raptor its own look and feel while minimizing the number of special manufacturing steps helps keep the cost down. In fact, Raptors need to be pulled off the production line at only two stages: wheel alignment (because of the extra wide track) and for the installation of the numerous aluminum skidplates.
• Optional steel sidesteps are vented and wider than normal to prevent rocks and debris kicked up by the widened track and tires from hitting the flared fenders.
• The patented internal bypass shocks developed in conjunction with Fox Racing Shox help make the Raptor ready for anything--possibly even war. While this is the first time such technology is available on a production vehicle, Fox Racing has been providing this shock technology the U.S. military and its allies. Our Army HMMWV Humvees and the British Royal Army's MWMIKs (Mobility Weapon Mounted Installation Kit) Supacat infantry-support vehicles use internal bypass shocks for improved off-road performance and reduced wear and tear. Hoo-AH.
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