Shelby Raptor is a 575-horsepower off-road goliath

Thu, 28 Mar 2013

Shelby American has definitely proven itself when it comes to tuning the Ford Mustang – look no further than its new 1,200-horsepower Shelby 1000 – but now the Las Vegas tuner has turned to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

The big change for this already high-performance off-road pickup is the addition of a supercharger atop Ford's 6.2-liter V8, with spent gasses exiting through a Borla exhaust system. This improves the horsepower rating from a stock rating of 411 up to a shenanigan-ready 575. For a Shelby, the styling of this F-150 is very toned down, with only the company's name etched into the Raptor's digital mud to go along with custom wheels wrapped in 35-inch tires.

The company is only planning to build 100 of the Shelby Raptors per year, with pricing set at $17,995 on top of the stock donor Ford, which starts at $43,630. Scroll down for the official press release.

SHELBY AMERICAN DELIVERS BIG POWER IN A BIG PACKAGE, UNVIELING THE ULTIMATE MUSCLE TRUCK AT NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

LAS VEGAS – March 28, 2013 – Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc., (CSBI.PK), today unveiled the new Shelby Raptor, one of the most powerful, exciting and collectable off-road production trucks, during the New York International Auto Show. The Shelby Raptor marks the return of the Shelby muscle truck and is based on the 2013 Ford SVT Raptor with enhanced power and handling, topped with "Shelby Style" inside and out.

"As a native Texan, Carroll Shelby loved powerful trucks," said John Luft, president of Shelby American. "Carroll connected his love for trucks with his passion for performance on several projects, with the first one over 30 years ago. The latest Shelby truck was created to conquer any terrain with serious velocity."

Shelby American takes the impressive Ford SVT Raptor and adds some "Shelby Magic" to create the ultimate muscle truck. By forcing air through a 2.9 liter supercharger mounted on the massive 6.2L V8 engine, and then out of the Shelby Borla exhaust system, Shelby American takes the stock 411 HP rating and kicks it up to 575 HP. A six-speed automatic transfers power to all four wheels and features a manual mode to give the driver complete gear selection control.

"Aerodynamically speaking, the Raptor was engineered for maximum performance," said Gary Patterson, vice president of operations. "We spent our efforts improving the power, cooling and handling systems because every Shelby is built to excel under even the most extreme conditions."

Equipped with 35-inch Goodrich All-Terrain tires and optional custom wheels, the Shelby Raptor stays connected to any ground it faces. The "Off-Road" mode calibrates the transmission, stability and traction control systems to operate in harmony under high-speed off-road situations. In addition, any of the three Shelby graphics packages will help set it apart from every other rig on the road.

"The Shelby Raptor was an absolute thrill to test across the Nevada desert," said Vince LaViolette, Shelby American's test driver. "The suspension system allows the Raptor to go over, around or through just about any obstacle. When more power is needed, just stroke the gas to spool up the supercharger and make the big tires rip."

The post-title package starts at $17,995, not including the base Raptor. A limited production of 100 Shelby Raptors will be built per model year and each will be numbered and documented with a unique Shelby CSM number and entered into the official Shelby Registry.

"The Shelby American line up now has something for everybody," added Luft. "We continue to offer the legendary Cobra sports car, along with our GTS, GT350, Super Snake and Shelby 1000 based on the current Ford Mustang and Ford Shelby GT500 vehicles. We took a page out of our history by bringing back Carroll's beloved front wheel drive 'pocket rocket' with the Shelby Focus ST. Since Shelby American's first official appearance was at the New York Auto Show over 50 years ago, it's fitting that our 'biggest and baddest' product unveil of the year, the Shelby Raptor truck, would occur in Manhattan."

Shelby American is now accepting orders for the limited edition Shelby Raptor truck. Those interested in reserving a truck should contact the sales team at (702) 942-7325 or visit www.shelbyamerican.com.

About Shelby American, Inc.
Shelby American manufactures and markets performance vehicles and related products. The company builds authentic continuation Cobras, including the 427 S/C, 289 FIA and 289 street car component vehicles. Shelby American offers the Shelby 1000, GT350, GT500 Super Snake, and GTS post-title packages for the current generation Ford Mustang, as well as the 2013 Shelby Focus ST and Shelby Raptor. For more info, visit www.shelbyamerican.com.

By Jeffrey N. Ross