Ford F-150: SVT Raptor Project In the Flesh

  • Thread starter Thread starter YSSMAN
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Yeah, but does plastering a F-150 with 'Harley-Davison' make it any cooler? You might as well call it the 'Ford F-150 Midlife Crisis'.
 
YSSMAN
I dunno. The fast-truck idea is pretty much dead in North America, I think. I mean, I'm certain that they'll all build a few thousand special edition models a year, but I don't think we'll be seeing stuff like the Ram SRT-10 or Lightning again.
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And that's sad, I was really hoping GM would bring out the Colorado SS with an LS2 in it. I know if gas prices would have stayed lower I probably would have though about getting one. Oh well there is always diesel tuning right :D.

BTW: The SRT-10 isn't the fastest truck anymore. I believe the HSV Maloo took it down a few weeks back, probably ran up to 160 MPH...
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This is correct. And the thing I never understood is why people made such a big deal about the RAM SRT-10, it's not like Dodge never sold a V-10 Ram before. I mean the Viper engine is based off the Ram V-10, so it makes sense that it would go back into a truck.
 
YSSMAN
BTW: The SRT-10 isn't the fastest truck anymore. I believe the HSV Maloo took it down a few weeks back, probably ran up to 160 MPH...
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Though the HSV Maloo might officially be the fastest 'truck', I don't agree with that at all.
 
TheCracker
Yeah, but does plastering a F-150 with 'Harley-Davison' make it any cooler? You might as well call it the 'Ford F-150 Midlife Crisis'.
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Nah, they'd make it a convertible if they wanted to call it that.
 
TheCracker
Yeah, but does plastering a F-150 with 'Harley-Davison' make it any cooler?
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Basically Ford is putting together two of the most American things you can buy; An F-150 pickup truck and the Harley Davidson name (they used to sell them with bikes). You've got to keep in mind that the Harley Davidson brand is a tour-de-force of marketing and promotional goodness, and even the most meager of bike-lover (like myself) often dreams of eventually owning a Harley.

I have no idea if there are "headline" brands like Ford and Harley in Europe that could join together like that...
 
TheCracker
It's maybe just me being European but i've never understood what either Ford or Harley-Davison could ever get out of this co-branding of the F-150???

I mean it's like having a Ford Transit 'Triumph Bonneville' - ie totally nonsensicle :boggled:
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The Transit with the same 5.4L Supercharged V8 from the F150/GT500/Ford GT would automatically make the Transit very cool and very fast. I'd want one. ;) Talk about making the school run in something with balls.

ExigeExcel
Because the transit can never look cool. It can be cool, but no matter what you do no-one is ever going to say "that's a good looking transit".
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I think the current Transit is cool actually, I like the look of it. And like I said ^ with a huge V8 under the bonnet it would be brilliant.
 
YSSMAN
Basically Ford is putting together two of the most American things you can buy; An F-150 pickup truck and the Harley Davidson name (they used to sell them with bikes). You've got to keep in mind that the Harley Davidson brand is a tour-de-force of marketing and promotional goodness, and even the most meager of bike-lover (like myself) often dreams of eventually owning a Harley.

I have no idea if there are "headline" brands like Ford and Harley in Europe that could join together like that...
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Problem is that the truck would have been just as good (and might sell even better) if they'd called it "Lightning." It actually carries the original Lightning's spirit quite well. That, and, In my mind, the H-D F-trucks have always been second-stringers.

I mean, with 450HP, shouldn't this truck be associated with that top-tier name? or is Ford sneaking something even more powerful behind our backs?
 
Well, problem is, SVT is dead for now. At least, thats what Ford keeps alluding too... Lightning could return, but they're more likely to wait until the 2009 model to bring it back, at the earliest of course...
 
and the point of this vehicle is what? make rednecks go yeehaw at 100mph?
 
Dude you are a troller. This is the second topic I've noticed you posted in just to start an arguement. So before I retort at your inflammatory comment let me first tell you that I am not American nor a "redneck" so don't even assume I am.

Where do you live? If you do not live in America (or Australia) then you are useless to the pickup truck topic because you don't understand their real purpose. They are in my opinion the real SUV's. They can haul, tow, carry your family, go offroad if needed, and still be comfortable highway cruisers. And I'm referring to the "modern" pickup truck here--not something even from 7-10 years ago. I don't PREFER pickup trucks over cars, but, I understand their appeal and why people from all walks of life that buy them.

Storytime...

When I worked at the Honda dealer as the inventory manager three of my favorite salesmen co-workers were from the following countries; England, Russia, and Iran. Why I bring this up is they moved to America for whatever reason and after a short time here they bought a pickup truck. I asked them why they bought one, and at least two of them told me "they are useful". I infact poked fun at the Englishman for buying one after he told me what his family and friends said back home before and after he moved to the US. "Now don't go buying a pickup truck." I found it quite humorous.

So the lesson you need to learn today is don't assume and or generalize people--whether you arrived at your "all pickup truck owners are rednecks" conclusion from Jeremy Clarkson or some other media mogul or you just were raised to think that way, you need to address your obvious prejudice and come correct.

Now back to the topic at hand. If Ford brings back the Lightning I can guarantee it will steal sales away from the SRT-10 Ram. If you think about it, the evolution of horsepower dictates that this next Ford super sport truck (couldn't come up with a more appropriate name lol) should have in excess of 500bhp. And frankly, that's quite scary.
 
JCE3000GT
Where do you live? If you do not live in America (or Australia) then you are useless to the pickup truck topic because you don't understand their real purpose. They are in my opinion the real SUV's. They can haul, tow, carry your family, go offroad if needed, and still be comfortable highway cruisers. And I'm referring to the "modern" pickup truck here--not something even from 7-10 years ago. I don't PREFER pickup trucks over cars, but, I understand their appeal and why people from all walks of life that buy them.
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Sorry bro., but I don't think even half of our U.S. population, let alone Texas, understands the purpose of a pickup considering half our fellow citizens will only tow maybe, once out of every 40 times they use the truck.
 
You're still putting the pickup truck back into the previous era. Like I said, pickup trucks now can do more than just tow a boat or haul sand in the bed. I think more people get it than you think. It's not all about towing anylonger, they have four doors and can seat 4-5 people depending on the model trim.
 
...Maybe its just living in the Mid-West, but there are quite a few pickups around here that are used to haul the family, haul wood and other supplies, hold tools, etc. More or less, its the overall utility of the vehicle that makes it a good idea. Its part of the reason why GM went on the pickup/SUV tangent with the Avalanche, H2 SUT, and Envoy XUV.

There have been many times in which I would have loved to have had a pickup truck. The ease of use is probably the best part of the whole package, as you don't have to go through a tail-gate to get to whatever is in the back. Sure, people can grab stuff out of the bed, but this is why we have bed lockers, bed caps, etc.

Just throw everything in the back, and call it good. Thats why I love pickups.
 
JCE3000GT
I'd pay a $2500 price increase for some forced induction--even if it was only 6lbs worth. Should at least be good for 75-80bhp and 100lb.ft. of torque.
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The main problem with that would be the higher octane requirements. Trucks get bad enough gas mileage as it is, people don't want to have to buy the premium stuff while they are at it.

Although it would be good to offer it as an option.
 
The only kind of pick up I would consider buying is a regular cab model, because If I needed to seat more than 2 or 3, I'd buy coupe, or a sedan. A pickup would be really useful, because all you need is a tonneu cover, and you have a huge ass trunk!
 
Pickups are just useful, if you don't have one you don't really see why you need one but once you do have one they are very handy things to have. I wish my dad would hurry up and buy another one.
 
JCE3000GT
Storytime... I infact poked fun at the Englishman for buying one after he told me what his family and friends said back home before and after he moved to the US. "Now don't go buying a pickup truck." I found it quite humorous.
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You can buy pick-up trucks in the UK too. If some Brit moves to the US and suddenly feels the need to buy a pick-up truck, then he's only doing it because everyone else around him seems to have one.
 
My former co-worker said he thought they are useful and weren't as bad as he thought.

And finding a North American pickup truck in the UK might be harder than finding a Camaro. ;)
 
250+ US pick-ups vs. 28 Camaros available on the Autotrader site ;)

To be honest, we've had pick-ups in the UK for, well, forever. But it's the big fuel thirsty V8s that puts most people off F150's or Dodge Rams. 99% of all UK pick-ups will be Toyota Hilux or Nissan Navaras. A 2.5 turbo diesel is always going to suit the UK with our fuel prices, so will the smaller physical dimensions suit our narrower roads.
 
I'm actually surprised you even have Camaros to be honest. lol The Nissan and Toyota are still good trucks for what you guys need over there. Of course...I'd prefer the Nissan. ;)

*edit*
I hate to go offtopic but I saw this: http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200718282570259

That's actually a pretty good deal. If I ever move to the UK I guess I'll at least have a few Camaros to buy...even though 99% of them are V6.
 
Camaros, along with C5 Vettes, were sold through Vauxhall dealers for a short period of time a few years back, that's why you'll see quite a few of both for sale second-hand for certain model years. We've got pretty loose import rules as far as cars goes, as long as you can get a car through the MOT test then you can import it and use it on our roads. LHD, physical size and the price of fuel ensures that they tend to be an oddity at best.
 
(Sorry to put stuff on topic)

Don't get me wrong, there isn't anything wrong with small pickups, but it just isn't the same thing compared to the 'standard' full-size F-150 and Silverado. Granted, Dodge's Dakota addresses some of those issues, and so too does the Nissan Frontier to some extent (I was surprised by that truck)... But even then, all these little trucks need are better engines to make them seem more worthy of the task at hand.

...Now that we know the small-block for sure can fit in a GMT355 (based on the H3 Alpha), I see no reason why we can't have the 4.8L/5.3L and a 6-speed in the Colorado/Canyon.

But with Ford, they just need to give-up on the Ranger. Kill it now, please...
 
NEW!

f-150-leak.jpg


LLN.com
Over the past several months, our spy photographers have captured different iterations of the next-generation Ford F-150 pickup truck — all wearing heavy camouflage. This evening, a single image leaked online of the new F-150 in all its glory.

Clearly, the new F-150 features heavily revised styling to reflect Ford's new design language. No doubt, Ford has made the move to keep its top-selling vehicle competitive with the likes of the Toyota Tundra and new Dodge Ram.

Power for the new F-150 is expected to come from either Ford's new 5.8L or 6.2L BOSS V8. It still remains a possibility that Ford will offer both engines.

Ford is obviously eager to get these pickups to market, to battle the Tundra and the redesigned trucks from GM and Chrysler. Just how quickly they can be in showrooms is the big question. The new F-150 will bow at the Detroit Auto Show next week.
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I like the look of it, I think its rather nice. Hopefully they've made it competitive enough with the GMT900s from GM and sadly the Toyota Tundra as well.
 
Sweet. New look, new engines. Awesome. My favorite truck is now my favorite truck again.

EDIT: I wonder if they did anything with the exhaust. I just now looked at the rear of the new Ram and I love how they integrated the nice tips into the bumper. Details like that are great.

EDIT 2: Hopefully they changed the interior a bit. The Ram's looks way too similar to the FISO. Better, though.
 
BOSS...BOSS...

Wow. Ford gets it right, after all!
 
Nice to see a big block back in a Ford pickup. At least the mirrors look more correlative(?) to the truck (see Ford F-350), but lose some of that purposeful appearance and function.

Still: Chrome wheels?
 
That is not a big-block, still based on the same small-block design as before. They're doing the same thing GM does...
 
Whew, that thing is ugly!
 
Omnis
Whew, that thing is ugly!
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And neither does it look very truck-like. It's fine if people turn their truck into a DUB-mobile, but selling DUB-mobiles to truckers doesn't sound like a good plan.
 
This is probably one of the fancier versions. Remember there's 4 versions I think, including the usually clean, monochromatic, lifted, un-shinied FX4, as well as the pretty King Ranch versions and whatnot. But yes, I agree that these particular wheels would be better suited to a luxury car of some sort.
 
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