Shelby American's New Baja Raptor
As with anything that plays host to Shelby on the nameplate this truck is as over the top as ever.
Four Wheels, Six Figures
$117,460. Not $117,500. That's what the new Shelby American Baja Raptor will set you back. We wonder if the '460' part of that price is a nod to the 460 cubic inch engines that powered yesteryear's Ford trucks. What do you get for a cool 50 grand over the price of Ford's Raptor? In the words of Shelby American president Gary Patterson, "While the Raptor is an amazing truck right from Ford, we reimagined it for those who asked Shelby for an even more extreme version. The Shelby Raptor is harder-edged, with more grunt and handling capability. We added adjustable shocks so the driver can even tailor their ride. This truck was designed and tested for those who seek maximum adventure both on and off the road.”
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Next Gen
Shelby spent a year developing their Baja Raptor from the newest version of Ford's Raptor (which was already the most powerful F-150 available. The Raptor can be had with 450 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque from the EcoBoost 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6). Shelby keeps the EcoBoost but ups the ante with 525+ horsepower and 610+ foot-pounds of torque. While this is admittedly down on the previous Shelby Raptor's 575 horsepower, the newer Raptor is more than 200 lbs lighter so those horses go further. The sizeable bump in power comes courtesy of a high-flow cold air intake (fed by a true ram air hood), cooling from an aluminum intercooler, and support from a healthy ECU tune.
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Fox-developed Suspension
Backing up Shelby's " ... on or off the road," part of their goal is the job of the nine-stage adjustable reservoir Fox shocks at all four corners, which can be adjusted without tools, and make it easy for the Raptor to adapt to life navigating down the interstate or chasing down the trails. Like Ford's Raptor, Shelby's rolls on 35-inch tires, but the stock BF Goodrich KO2 units have been replaced by more bitey BFGoodrich KM2s.
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Curb Appeal
Shelby knows when you pay a 50K premium to drive something special, you're going to want to feel special when you open your garage and feast your eyes on your pride and joy. If other people are impressed that's their business. Aside from the usual stripes and graphics, Shelby outfitted their Raptor with custom front and rear bumpers packed with built-in LED lighting and extra tow points. The chase rack is also custom and carries the Shelby name, even more, LED lighting, and facilities to mount dual spares. The truck features a 3-inch lift, and automatic running boards with integrated rock sliders ease your way in and out and keep your paint away from pesky boulders.
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On the Inside
Shelby chose to lavish most of their attention on the mechanical bits and, since Ford already did a solid job on the interior of the Raptor, limited interior modifications to custom carbon fiber panels, floor mats, badging, and tastefully embroidered leather seats—and of course a CSM serial number plate.
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Get Yours While You Can
Shelby is only making 500 Baja Raptors ... sort of. They are making 500 shiny new ones for 2018 available from Ford Shelby dealers in the US and Canada, but if you bring in your 2017 Raptor and plunk down $49,295 they'll convert it to Shelby Raptor spec. Each Shelby Raptor made will be automatically registered in the official Shelby Registry, naturally. Shelby knows, as great as Cobras and Mustangs are, sometimes you just want to play in the dirt; they've got you covered, 525 horsepower-worth.
>>Join the conversation about the New Baja Raptor right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
For help with service of your truck, check out the how to section of Ford-Trucks.com