When looking for this week’s Truckin’ Fast Tuesday video, I was pretty excited to come across some footage of a new Ford F-150 Shelby conversion at a race track. It’s a big truck, but I couldn’t wait to see what a 700 horsepower pickup could do.
After seeing so many tuned EcoBoost and worked 5.0 liter V8 versions running into the 12 and 13 second range, I had high hopes for the Shelby. Editors note: I was even more excited when I noticed that the owner really enjoyed taking his beanie baby snake and unicorn for a fun time at the track.
After watching the video by, DancesWithBikers, I was sorely disappointed in the powerful Shelby F-150, but I believe that this supercharged truck has a whole lot more left in the tank. Don’t you?
On the first run, the Shelby goes against a pretty wicked race bike which made the truck look slow, but the first run was made in normal drive mode and 2wd only. On the second run, the driver flipped the Shelby to Sport mode and left the truck in 2wd. On that second run, the driver ran a 14.697 second time at 99.39 miles per hour.
That was as good as it got, and when he went into 4wd the times hovered in the 15s. While I understand that the Shelby F-150 weighs more than 6,000 lbs., I really expected a truck with 700 horsepower to get in the 13 second range. That being said, I wonder if part of this problem rests in the driver and his awesome driving gloves. (And beanie babies. -Ed.)
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
