This Raptor is brighter & beefier for a demanding, adrenaline-fueled customer.
The Ford Raptor has always been what you could call a “serious” machine. It’s big and loud and has badass things to do. It’s designed to get over, around, or through whatever you point it at and it is not fond of hearing the word “No” from Mother Nature. What its suspension can’t flex over, its powerful engine and massive tires will flatten into submission.
The first-generation Raptor in the Galpin Auto Sports video up top is as serious as a heart attack…during a missile strike. GAS has been modifying the Team Pavo truck for the past four years. Its owner, Duman, takes it off-road often and each time he does, he discovers something new that he wants to upgrade. So far, his rig has a full roll cage, racing seats with harnesses, substantial rubber, what appear to be beadlock capable wheels, as well as a couple of spare wheels/tires in the bed, just in case. Each of the four light pods up front are packed with the lighting power of a 30-inch bar.
In his quest to improve his Raptor’s performance, Duman has opted for an upgraded axle. Given how extensively modified Duman’s Raptor already is, GAS has to get creative about making other parts of the truck fit the axle. They custom-make brackets for the new back end and have U bolts specially fabricated to fit the new hardware. The existing wheel centers are too small to fit on the new axle’s hubs, so GAS has to bore the centers of the wheels out to make sure everything can connect.
After all of the mods are in place, it’s time for GAS and Duman to find out how the Raptor performs so they head to the desert. No Raptor test would be complete without a jump. Luckily, Duman appears to be a thorough man. We also like being thorough so we’ll tell you right now that unless you want to see a Porsche 911 get a custom wrap, you should skip the 3:19-7:40 part of the video. We’re serious.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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