Don't know if this is the correct thread for this, but you may find it interesting.
I spotted these F-750s in Golden CO this morning.
There were about 7 of them with various body styles including pickup, flat bed and a dump truck.
The drivers were all carrying identical Toughbook laptops and seemed more engineer type than normal truck drivers.
The trucks had Michigan tags and temporary inspections stickers listing Roush Industries as the owner.
The funky grills are what caught my eye.
The examples below had auxiliary tanks in the flat bed.
On the door was "Ford Motor Company, Not For Hire"

<a href="http://s1247.photobucket.com/user/cev1206/media/F-750/2013-11-06_07-52-59_463_zpsd7b33a12.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg640/cev1206/F-750/2013-11-06_07-52-59_463_zpsd7b33a12.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2013-11-06_07-52-59_463_zpsd7b33a12.jpg"/></a>

 

The grills are odd looking. They appear to be riveted onto the normal F-650/750 front sheet metal.

 

My buddy saw this same group in AZ a few months ago. He talked to the engineers. They are testing new motors for the 650/750. Historically the 650/750 has offered 3 diesels, the Ford Diesel, a cummins, and a CAT. Well CAT has stopped making road diesels, so they are looking to replace it. I believe you can also get a gas V10.

 

Yup i was the one that saw them in Flagstaff, AZ. The guys driving were a bunch of engineers and didnt want to talk about the testing they were doing. Lots of different bed, trailer and load configurations. And the grilles didnt looked stamped just more of folded with a brake.

 

Cool pic, good catch with the difference in the hood & grill

 

Maybe the grill is removable making it easier for swapping of test engines. Or maybe they need the extra space for whatever they are sticking under there.

As of now I believe the V10 is only available in the F-650.

 

That's what I used to do for a living. I worked at Roush, then Ford. I never worked on trucks that big, only as big as the F-550. We drove them all over creation. I covered a large part of the US and Canada, and even some of Mexico (shudder.)

While I don't know any of the specifics of these trucks, I do know why that funky grill is there. The grill is from a future model truck and is on these trucks so that there is the correct airflow through the grill. You can't do accurate work with the wrong airflow coming in.

 

Neat find!

 

Neat find.

Looks like they may possibly be these trucks:

Spied: Next-Gen Ford F-650 Hybrid? - PickupTrucks.com News

 

We have two heading this way. Looking forward to checking them out in person.
ROUSH CleanTech Announces Production Timing for Ford F-650 Propane Autogas Fuel Systems | ROUSH CleanTech

 

I would expect the snout extensions to be fiberglass since that would be the easiest way to join it to the doghouse.

The only diesel available now is the 6.7 liter Cummins in 10 different power levels ranging from 200 to 360 hp (however 3 of those choices are for emergency vehicles only...). We have a pretty new F750 in our yard now....not sure what the hp rating is though....
It's in our yard because the transmission won't shift out of 1st gear. Still under warranty so we are waiting for the tow truck to come get it.

Engine access is already ideal so no reason to have a removable grill....the entire front clip tilts forward. It's usually 2 pins, two electrical harness connectors and two spring loaded cables and the whole thing comes right off the truck.

You are correct, the V10 is only available in the F-650....and it's CNG/Propane capable model.

I wish I had seen the trucks. I would have looked for some MGU-H or MGU-K hardware....although I think the first time we see that stuff will be on class 8 trucks since the tag axle is the ideal place to have electric motors/harvesters at the hubs. I am pretty sure Mercedes is pretty far along with the development of that technology but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Ford is doing their own development as well. Kinda cool stuff.

 

Sounds like a dream job to some guys here, me included!

 

It was pretty fantastic.