Ford is once again collaborating with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) to produce a special-edition vehicle to be auctioned for charity. However instead of spicing up another Mustang, as they have for the last three years, Ford and EAA developed a different air travel tie-in: an F-22– inspired Ford F-150 Raptor.
For those who have not paid attention, the Ford’s Raptor is regrettably not named after the dinosaurs all of us familiarized and like from the Jurassic Park films. Its heritage is originated in something a little less ancient and a bit more air-borne: the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter jet. Thinking about that the off-road-focused F-150 already can shoot throughout terrain at high speeds and soar through the sky using its knobby tires as landing gear, the name appears warranted. But this one-off special edition takes the association a bit more actually.
After the Mustangs with P-51D, F-16, and F-35 themes, the Raptor is the very first Ford-EAA collaboration in years not to have wings of any type. In place of that, Ford Performance and Ford design manager Melvin Betancourt improved performance and included additional visual results to draw the fighter-jet pairing better. Because of a Whipple intercooler, power from the Raptor’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 boosts from 450 to 545 horse power. It likewise has suspension, wheel, and brake upgrades to make the currently supercapable truck even more so. New carbon-fiber bodywork, an unique F-22 graphics package, an LED roof-mounted light bar, and a grille with a fighter-jet shape finish the look.
The F-22 Raptor pickup is going to be auctioned for charity at the Gathering of Eagles fundraising occasion, set for July 27, at the EAA Aviation Museum throughout the AirVenture Oshkosh convention. Profits will be used to support the EAA’s youth aviation programs. As per EAA, this partnership and automobile program has raised $3 million since it started years earlier.
