Shelby Raptor Raises Money to Protect Police in Colorado

Ford F-150 Raptor tuned by Shelby with 525 horsepower could be yours for just $100 and a little luck.

The Pueblo Chieftain news recently ran a piece discussing how a Shelby-tuned Ford F-150 Raptor was helping to raise $250,000 to make the job safer for police officers in the area. Working with an agency called Shield616 with the help of Phil Long Ford at Chapel Hills, the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police is raffling off a new Raptor with each ticket costing $100.

Winning a new Ford F-150 Raptor for $100 sounds great, but this isn’t just any “regular” turbocharged half-ton truck, this is the Shelby-tuned version that packs significantly more horsepower and torque. Earlier this week, the raffle began and the organizers expect tickets to sell out quickly

The Ford F-150 Raptor modified by Shelby American begins under the hood, where the team adds a cold air intake, a larger intercooler and a custom engine tune that lifts the output up to 525 horsepower and 610 lb-ft of torque. Next, Shelby adds a Fox suspension system that lifts the truck by three inches in the front and rear while offering even greater off-roading abilities, with help from the unique wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich KM2 off-road tires.

Other upgrades as part of the Shelby Raptor package include a Shelby dual intake ram-air hood, power side-steps with integrated rock sliders, a new grille surround, a unique front bumper with a 40-inch light bar, a unique rear bumper with LED lighting and Shelby Baja striping and badges.

Finally, the package adds a bed rack system with space for two full-sized spare tires while also carrying an array of aftermarket lighting.

Making Police Safer

The raffle for this Ford F-150 Shelby Raptor began earlier this month at the local Eagles Aerie 145 in Pueblo, Colorado.

“For the last two weeks, the phones have been constantly ringing with support not only from Pueblo but the surrounding area and as far as California,” said Gary Fearn, secretary for Aerie 145. “Obviously, people like the truck but they also see the need that local law enforcement has. That’s why the Eagles got involved.”

The plan is to sell 2,500 tickets for $100 each, with tickets being sold to people in person at the union hall or over the phone, but the association fully expects for these tickets to sell out quickly. After all, this is a chance to win a 525-horsepower, $130,000 Ford Raptor re-worked by Shelby American.

“We’re going to sell out very, very quickly,” said Jake Skifstad, founder and president of the non-profit Shield616, whose goal is to equip first responders with advanced active shooter/crowd control gear. “That’s the last black Ford Raptor truck in all of Colorado and it’s a very popular vehicle.”

‘I pray we never need it but the reality is we could, at any moment, need this type of protection.’

The protection packages being purchased include ballistic helmets, Level III armor in a unique vest for police along with a different vest for firefighters and unique trauma kits for police and firefighters.

“I worry about my officers every night,” Pueblo police chief Troy Davenport told The Pueblo Chieftain. “This additional protection provided through Shield616, with the opportunity for a citizen to support an officer in an intimate, personal way, is very meaningful. I pray we never need it but the reality is we could, at any moment, need this type of protection.”

If you live in the Pueblo area, you can stop by Aerie 145 to purchase tickets until they are sold out, with the drawing planned for June 16.

Photos: The Pueblo Chieftain

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Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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