YouTuber Gets Galpin to Revamp F-150 Raptor
Daily Slideshow: Galpin Auto Sports, 1221 Wheels, and YouTuber Salomondrin join forces to create a Ford F-150 Raptor that's sure to inspire social media influencers and game designers alike.
Raptor Plus
Even a truck named after a scary dinosaur isn’t immune to a little modification. For most folks, the Raptor’s 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V6’s 450 hp and 520 lb-ft of torque is... adequate. Of course, people with names like Shelby and Hennessey are not most folks, and neither, if this Raptor is any indication, is YouTuber Salomondrin. Modifications are one thing, modifications that do their job without distracting or detracting from an already eye-catching design are entirely another. This pickup, a joint effort of Salomondrin, Galpin Auto Sports, and manufacturer 1221 Wheels, does just that.
The Name
According to 1221 Wheels, they “worked closely with the Salomondrin and Galpin Auto Sports team to design the new SVIPE.3 style to be aggressive, yet timeless and compliment the ‘OEM+’ development ethos of the Raptor S.” No doubt they worked closely with the distinctively-named social media influencer to name the wheels as well, eschewing their usual number+letter designations and their “Apex” appellation to go with an unpronounceable name, containing a period, that only the internet could love. Aggressively named? Yes. Timelessly so? We’ll see.
>>Join the conversation about Salomondrin's GAS Raptor right here in Ford-trucks.com.
The Wheels
The wheels installed on the Salomondrin-supplied truck have a look that’s every bit as much performance car as it is a tough truck—reflecting Salomondrin’s status as a car nut. The examples on the YouTuber’s Raptor are 20-inchers, but 1221 also makes them in 17- and 22-inch sizes, and offers them in your choice of 40 colors as well. Though it’s not specifically stated, the contrasting red bead lock ring on the F-150’s black wheels is likely the optional “Beadlock look” trim ring, though the wheel maker’s website says they’ll make true Beadlock versions for you “upon request.”
>>Join the conversation about Salomondrin's GAS Raptor right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Wheel Details
To achieve what 1221 calls, “the concave profile possible for [taking] truck wheels to the absolute extreme,” the company had to create a unique forging profile. The manufacturer says the SVIPE.3’s are, “lighter, stronger, and feature the most extreme concave profiles available today.” Aside from clearly being extreme, other details include textured centers and spokes, combined with a “brushed gloss” rim section.
>>Join the conversation about Salomondrin's GAS Raptor right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Other Mods
But there’s more to this Raptor than just a set of wheels. In the power department, a Whipple Power Kit, components from SPD Performance, and a Corsa exhaust all convene to contribute an additional 102 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque to the pickup’s bottom line. Beneath the black-and-red wheels, red Alcon six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers peek out. A standout of the Galpin Auto Sports-executed build would have to be the beautifully-integrated flares, which help insure the extra track width and suspension travel dialed into this Raptor stay safely within bounds.
>>Join the conversation about Salomondrin's GAS Raptor right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Inside Again
Naturally, for a current-tech inspired build, the cab of the Raptor is loaded with same. A 12-inch touchscreen dominates the truck’s center stack and controls many of the Raptor’s extras—including climate-controlled, massaging seating—and all of its infotainment. A familiar sight to anyone who’s spent any time in ‘80s college dormitories, the pickup’s headliner’s multitude of glowing stars are poised to provide hours of psychedelic entertainment to the interior’s inhabitants. Those inhabitants will be welcomed by expected swaths of leather and Alcantara as well.
>>Join the conversation about Salomondrin's GAS Raptor right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Unboxing Video
In much the same way as an unseen restaurant tip is a tip not given, an internet influencer build not broadcast wouldn’t exist. No fallen trees in the forest here. YouTuber Salomondrin, camera in hand, camera crew in fullest effect, shows genuine joy and drops genuine F-bombs when the truck he helped design is unveiled to him. We like the truck, but we prefer Ford’s “Built Ford Tough” tagline over Salomondrin’s “It looks like a Toy!” utterance upon seeing the pickup.
You can now order a Raptor S built by Galpin Auto Sports right now if you liked what you've seen.
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