This Ford Raptor is Now a 590-HP Camping Vehicle

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

                               

 

Sometimes an automaker builds a vehicle that stops you in your tracks. The supremely off-road capable Ford Raptor is one such vehicle. With 11 inches of front suspension travel and 13 in the rear, the SVT Raptor can rocket off-road at near triple-digit speeds, all the while enduring constant abuse. 

 

But there’s a bit more depth to the one-track Raptor than meets the eye. It can also make for a pretty savvy off-road camping vehicle, and that’s exactly what this juiced-up F-150 has become. It recently Baja blitzed its way onto eBay, and it looks like a perfect antidote for the weekday blues.

Needless to say, they won’t be five star accommodations. Like many off-road campers, this Ford Raptor sports a bed-mounted camping rack with a rooftop tent in the back—keeping occupants well off the ground and out of the food chain. The rack also totes a Hi-Lift jack, series of light bars, luggage tray, tools, and jerry cans. There’s also a Mr. Hyde to this Dr. Jekyll, and that comes courtesy of a huge injection of horsepower.

 

Built by California’s TAG Motorsports, the custom SVT Raptor boasts a Roush Performance supercharger and intercooler, which dials up an even 590 horsepower and 590 lb.-ft. of torque—a gain of 179 hp and 156 lb.-ft. over the stock 6.2-liter V8. A Magnaflow exhaust ensures that engine can breathe easy and a upgraded ReadyLIFT suspension kit with Fox shocks gives Raptor yet another reason to take the trail least traveled.

The styling cues may not be everyone’s cup of tea, that is to say electric blue wheels, but the Ford certainly does look commanding. Its body has been doused in a layer of Line-X Body Armor protective coating. A 12,000 pound Warn winch finds a home in the front bumper. And it packs enough exterior lighting to turn night into day.

This type of setup may not be the camping vehicle alternative for the everyman (the old Raptor started at $45,000), but at least it’s an option.