“That's the most American thing I've ever seen” is a relatively common phrase in Driven headquarters. And while sometimes it's reference to stories about debauchery in a Walmart or some kind of political screw up, it most often refers to cars.
Today's 'most American' car comes in the form of the newly revealed Shelby Baja Raptor — a vehicle that screams 'make my combo a large' from every possible angle.
It's of course based on the Ford F-150 Raptor; a fun-loving utility vehicle that many would say is already suitably insane. But, Shelby took it back to the drawing board and decided that they could do better.
This isn't the first time they've done this to the Raptor of course. Back in 2015 they showcased the Baja 700 — a supercharged 700hp V8 nutjob on wheels. But, the game has changed slightly since then. The Raptor now makes use of a 3.5-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, which Shelby retained as the basis for this new creation.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the new Baja Raptor develops less power than the old one — 525hp (390kW) and 826Nm of torque are the numbers, an improvement over the standard truck thanks to a new cold-air intake and custom engine tune. Consider though that it's a much lighter package than the old V8, which is something that holds value when it comes to the silly off-road stuff that Raptors have always done best.
Speaking of off-road silliness, the new Shelby baja sports a 3-inch Fox Racing lift kit, and craggy beef-laden 35-inch BF Goodrich KM2 tyres. These both help improve the truck's chops on the dirty stuff, while simultaneously somehow making it look even more rugged than standard. A big LED light bar in the front grill to help blind the innocent on the motorway and a new Shelby-branded rack on the truck bed complete the Baja Raptor's look.
With news that the Raptor name is coming to New Zealand via a new Ranger model, there could well be an improved case for Ford to start bringing them to the Kiwi market. But, it remains highly unlikely.