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Chrysler shows off eight Mopar concepts at Easter Jeep Safari 2010

Zach Bowman — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:22:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Performance, SUV, Truck, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Military, Design/Style, Diesel, Off-Road, Racing

2010 Easter Jeep Safari Mopar Concepts - Click any image to enlarge

Chrysler's engineers have been busy lately. Mark Allen, head of the Jeep design studio, has introduced a total of eight new concept vehicles at this year's Easter Jeep Safari. Each one has been worked up by the company's off-road engineering team, and while most are nothing more than pure fantasy, at least a few can be crafted out of parts available from the Mopar go-fast catalog. Even better, all have the off road guts to go anywhere you please.

That includes the Jeep Wrangler J7. Consider this the stripped-down beast we would build if Chrysler gave us the keys to the kingdom for a week. Fluffy stuff like carpet, the stereo and alloy wheels have been ditched in favor of more utilitarian goods. New all-steel bumpers, complete with helicopter hooks, join a sturdy rear gate and steel wheels wrapped in 35-inch rubber. A small 2-inch lift helps accommodate the larger rollers, and the eye-searing Mustard Plug paint sets the truck apart from the crowd. While we have no problem with the 3.8-liter V6, we would probably swap the four-speed automatic gear box for a row-your-own.

Speaking of rowing your own, the Jeep Patriot Extreme is more than happy to accommodate third-pedal lovers everywhere. While Wrangler guys may be quick to rag on the baby Jeep, this Patriot is more than capable of dispatching rough terrain. A two-inch suspension lift gives the trail-rated package just a little more clearance, and custom rock rails protect the bodywork from getting too close to the trail. We're also digging those 16-inch TJ Moab wheels, extra lighting on the bumper and roof rack for... snowboards?

Chrysler says it turned out the Wrangler Trail Boss (right) just to show off all of the products available from the Jeep trail catalog. The truck's specs read like a recipe for a Wrangler wish list. Outside, the most noticeable difference between the Trail Boss and a standard Wrangler is the addition of new AEV off-road bumpers, complete with a Warn 9.5ti winch, though the half-doors and sun bonnet do much to alter the truck's attitude, too. A 3-inch lift kit allows for healthy 35-inch rubber down below, wrapped around those slick Hutchinson Rock Monster beadlock wheels. Click the jump to read about the rest of the Mopar monsters.

Gallery: 2010 Easter Jeep Safari Concepts

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Chrysler shows off eight Mopar concepts at Easter Jeep Safari 2010

Chrysler shows off eight Mopar concepts at Easter Jeep Safari 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford F-150 SVT Raptor gets suspension explained by IL

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Truck, Ford, Specialty, Off-Road

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor under the skin - Click above for high-res image gallery

In stock form, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is one of the most impressive bits of machinery available from any automaker extant. We've managed to snag some seat time in one a couple of times now, and each time we've walked away mightily impressed. But just what is it that makes the off-road-ready supertruck so good? It's not the powertrain, it's the suspension.

While we've offered a basic walkaround of what makes the Raptor tick, the chaps at Inside Line took it upon themselves to delve a bit deeper into the mystery of the truck's cushy pogo sticks. Chief among the updates that turn an ordinary mild-mannered F-150 into a fire-breathing desert runner are the beautiful cast aluminum lower control arms and the special inverted Fox Racing Shocks with remote reservoirs.

Also worth noting are the 13.8-inch ventilated brake rotors with dual-piston sliding calipers and the beefy 17-inch wheels wrapped in LT315/70R17 All-Terrain tires from BFGoodrich. Add it all up and you've got yourself $38,995 worth of eminently capable pickup goodness - and a hearty "attaboy" for Ford's SVT engineers.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

[Source: Inside Line]

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor gets suspension explained by IL originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is a diamond on the rough

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Ford, First Drives, Off-Road

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - Click above for high-res image gallery

Although some of us have an unabashed love for all-things off-road, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor didn't register a huge blip on our collective radar. We figured it would be a performance kit that was much more kit than performance, or an off-road wunderkind that makes life a Hobbesian kind of brutish when used anywhere but the moon. We spent two days in Southern California, one of which in the Raptor's Anza Borrego Desert birthplace, to discover one thing: We were wrong. The Raptor is all that. And a bag of chips. And dessert.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

All photos copyright Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is a diamond on the rough

First Drive: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is a diamond on the rough originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woodward 2009: The Ford Booth Tour

Chris Shunk — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:27:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Ford, Misc. Auto Shows

Woodward 2009 Ford Booth Tour - Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford, as you likely already know, didn't enter bankruptcy this year, and the Blue Oval didn't need government funds to remain afloat, either. That's a good enough reason to throw a party, and that's precisely what Ford did at 9 Mile and Woodward for this year's Woodward Dream Cruise.

Ford had by far the largest display of any of the Detroit automakers, and since the Dream Cruise is all about old school muscle, the Mustang was naturally front and center. In fact, Ford dedicated most of Woodward 2009 to Mustang Alley; a cornucopia of Ford's trademark pony cars past and present that lined both sides of 9 Mile east of Woodward. While the Shelby GT500 is relatively rare on public streets, Carol's 540-hp masterpiece filled Mustang Alley. But Mustangs rebuilt by regular Joes were also well represented.

Ford also has a great display of the latest and greatest from Ford trucks, including a couple brand new F-150 SVT Raptors, along with a killer DeWalt F-150 complete with Ford's Work Solution package. The appropriately yellow DeWalt truck even featured a connection for an air compressor above the rear bumper.

Other Ford vehicles of note include the 2010 Fusion Hybrid that Ford is using to challenge the media to see who can get the best fuel economy and a 2010 Taurus SHO with a law enforcement light bar. Click on the gallery below to check out the best from the Ford booth at Woodward 2009.

Gallery: Woodward 2009: Ford Booth Tour

Woodward 2009: The Ford Booth Tour originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor explained by Mike Levine

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:19:00 EST

Filed under: SEMA Show, Truck, Ford

Click above to view video after the jump

When it comes to all things pickup trucks, Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com is the man, bar none. He's got the first video report on the new Ford F-150 SVT Raptor and goes into far greater detail about the truck's special bits than we ever could. The Raptor, of course, is the latest product from the SVT crew and it's fully off-road ready. This beast is unlike the previous F-150 SVT Lightning, which blended lots of horsepower with a strictly on-road suspension set up. SVT seems to have realized that a pickup truck will never be a sports car and vice versa, so they set up the Raptor with new heavy duty suspension mounts, unique suspension arms and new Fox racing remote reservoir dampers. The SVT Raptor will be launched with the current 5.4L V8 underhood, although the 6.2L "Boss" V8 should be available as an option by the end of '09. The interior is fitted with all kinds of special bits and from the outside the Raptor will be instantly recognizable thanks to a unique grille and flared out fenders. Check out the video for yourself after the jump and our high-res galleries of the SVT Raptor below. Thanks to Sam (not me) for the tip!

Gallery: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor R

Gallery: SEMA 2008: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor LIVE

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor explained by Mike Levine

VIDEO: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor explained by Mike Levine originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Ford F-150 Raptor gets a grille

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Truck, Ford

More news on the Raptor front today. PickupTrucks.com just published a spy shot of a camo'd F-150 Raptor that at first glance adds nothing new to the puzzle. Closer inspection reveals that the semi-transparent covering actually exposes the basic look of the sporty F-150's grille, which purportedly has the Ford name emblazoned very large across a center bar. The truck was recently spotted on the streets of Vegas during the Ford Dealer Show. According to those in the know, Ford marketing boss Jim Farley unveiled the off-road-ready F-150 at that meeting, even showing a video of the mule throwing sand in the desert.

We're becoming more certain every day that the Raptor will use the 6.2L "Boss" V8 with a power output of between 380 and 420 horsepower. If the F-150 Raptor ends up wearing an SVT product as we suspect, we're betting the final power output being closer to the latter rather the former. Besides seeing the mule in action and hearing about the powertrain, dealers were also shown one of the Raptor's footlong-travel shocks, built exclusively for the Raptor by Fox Racing. Coupled with 35-inch all-terrain tires, this should be one badass, Baja-ready pickup.

Surely it won't be long before we get a whole batch of official pics from Ford, perhaps in time for the SEMA Show in November, but for now click over to PickupTrucks.com to see the new spy pics.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Spy Shots: Ford F-150 Raptor gets a grille originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lightning strikes again? Ford F-150 Raptor may be branded SVT

John Neff — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:56:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Truck, Ford

Click above for high-res gallery of Ford F-150 "Raptor" spy shots

The rumored Ford F-150 "Raptor" high-performance off-road truck may be branded an SVT model when and if it reaches dealer showrooms. So says Sean Holman at Four Wheeler Magazine, at least. If true, this would mark the return of the SVT label being used front and center on a vehicle since John Coletti, the legendary head honcho of Ford's in-house tuning arm during its heyday, retired in 2004. Ford's Special Vehicle Team is still alive and well within the Blue Oval, having participated in developing a number of special Mustang models in recent years including the GT500, which features SVT badges all over its exterior and interior but not in its name.

Affixing the letters S-V-T to a truck will bring on inevitable comparisons to the late, great SVT Lightning F-150, which was produced for ten years between 1993 and 2003. While that high-performance truck was meant for on-road shenanigans, the "Raptor" is being developed in the vein of a Baja truck with big tires, bigger ground clearance and a big appetite for jumping things like sand dunes and rows of Foci. Production of the "Raptor" truck itself is just a rumor, however, despite heavily covered prototypes seen idling around Dearborn. The addition of an SVT badge would make the secretly developed desert stormer that much more legitimate in our eyes, even if Ford's in-house tuning program has never proven itself off the beaten path.

Gallery: Ford F150 "Raptor" - Spy Shots

[Source: Four Wheeler Blog via Pickuptruck.com]

Lightning strikes again? Ford F-150 Raptor may be branded SVT originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Ford working on F-150 "Raptor"

Noah Joseph — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:01:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Ford

click above for more high-res pics of the 2009 Ford F-150

There are rumors circulating the web of a Ford truck so freakin' cool it'd make even the most Euro-centric bloggers among us stop dead in our tracks, and if true, would make everything else do just the same.

The report claims that Ford is working on a derivative of the all-new F-150 pick-up internally known as "Raptor". The pumped-up version of the popular truck is said to feature a long-travel suspension (developed with Fox Racing), 35-inch tires, and - wait for it - a possibly turbocharged version of the upcoming Boss V8. Essentially a Baja 1000 or Dakar racing truck available to the public, the Raptor would be capable of covering rough terrain at high speeds, and also feature distinctive bodywork wider and lower than a conventional F-150. Word of the Boss V8 finding its way into an F-150 has also led to speculation that Ford is preparing a new Lightning, but the Raptor seems much, much cooler. If given the green light, the Raptor could be a year-and-a-half to two years away. Stay tuned.

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

Gallery: 2009 Ford F-150

REPORT: Ford working on F-150 "Raptor" originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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