The Ford F-150 Raptor is the pioneer of the Desert Racing pickup, a great blend of cutting-edge technology and exceptional performance. It's known as the "Beast of the Desert," not only for Ford's more than half-century of honing in the performance car space, but also for the legend of the SCORE Baja 1000.
Discover the long-distance cross-country race Ford's historical roots with the Baja 1000
Born in 1967, the Baja 1000 is a long-distance cross-country event based on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. The race is divided into two types: point-to-point competition and circle race, of which the point-to-point race starts in Ensenada and the end point is in La Paz, and the starting and finishing points of the circle race are in Ensenada. The two types of races are held alternately on a yearly basis, with a total mileage ranging between 1000-1500 km. The terrain of the event is mainly desert, but also includes gravel roads, dry riverbeds, etc., and the road conditions are comparable to the Dakar Rally.
Bronco racing in 1968 before the race
In 1969 Bronco racing in the Baja 1000 race
Cars bearing the Ford logo appeared on the starting line in the first year of the event, when private participants used the original Ford Bronco. At the second Edition of the Baja 1000 in 1968, the original Bronco racer, driven by Larry Minor and Jack Bayer, won the overall result, kicking off Ford's dominant performance in the Baja 1000. From the first-generation Bronco to the special Baja car to the F-150 trophy car, Ford Racing has been unbeatable in all categories of the Baja Race, winning 22 overall results in 55 races so far.
Crazy racing with the furious performance of the F-150 is tied to the Baja 1000
The civilianization of racing technology is no stranger to Ford. At that time, the Ford GT40 racing car, which wrote the legend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and four consecutive championships, had dozens of different models of civilian models. The F-150 trophy car is just as inspiring as the story of the Baja 1000 race; from the grueling desert circuit to the user's home garage, the F-150 Raptor has taken a journey full of surprises.
1993款F-150 Lightning
In the 1990s, ford's F-150 Lightning, based on the ninth-generation F-150, was the first F-series pickup truck to focus on high-performance road performance. Developed by the Ford SVT (Special Vehicle Team special vehicle team), the product is equipped with a specially designed 5.8-liter V8 engine, 240 hp and a peak output of 461 Nm to ensure that the model can accelerate from stationary to 60 mph (about 97 km/h) in 7.2 seconds. It is worth mentioning that the original F-150 Lightning is the second work of the Ford SVT team and the first high-performance model based on pickup trucks, marking the development of Ford's high-performance models in a more diversified direction.
1999款F-150 Lightning
On the second-generation F-150 Lightning launched in 1999, the faster and stronger SVT team installed a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine for the new car, and after the 2001 model year upgrade, the power output reached 380 horsepower and 610 Nm, which is a giant beast level of power that allows this high-performance pickup truck to complete a 0-60 mph sprint in 5.2 seconds. Such impressive results not only allowed the second-generation F-150 Lightning to surpass the performance of many high-performance cars, but also set a challenging benchmark for the development of subsequent models.
2009款F-150 SVT Raptor
When the SVT team focused on the development of the third-generation high-performance F-150, how to match or even surpass the performance of the previous generation became a challenge. Because the second-generation F-150 Lightning has made many concessions in loading capacity in order to have a strong road performance, the successor model will need more powerful chassis settings, suspension systems and better power systems if they want to make up for this ability under the premise of ensuring performance. However, this move will lead to high prices of commercially available vehicles, deviating from Ford's car-making concept and original intention. Faced with this situation, the engineering development team needed a new idea, such as a completely new model definition.
2009款F-150 SVT Raptor
Jamal Hameedi, then principal engineer on the SVT team, was tasked with developing the next generation of high-performance F-150. He has extensive experience in Baja Racing development and racing involvement. This experience led him to think of a way to overcome the development bottleneck: combining excellent road performance with off-road performance, injecting the DNA of Baja racing into the new model, and then creating a unique pickup truck capable of high-speed off-roading. This positioning is also perfectly in line with SVT's mission to create vehicles for people who love to drive that meet their unique needs.
The idea opened a new door for SVT's engineering development team, a high-performance off-road pickup truck that is like a blank canvas on which SVT engineers without peers to study can unleash their creativity. Jamal and his team investigated a number of off-road events during the development process, and after fully appreciating the off-road culture and lifestyle, they created the first engineering prototype with rich inspiration. The results are exciting, engineers never imagined they could get so much driving pleasure and passion from a pickup truck, and a star in the pickup market is on the rise.
The mass-produced heritage of the Baja spirit has been the bloodline of the F-150 Raptor throughout the ages
At the 2008 SEMA Modification Show, the F-150 SVT Raptor officially debuted. The new car used the SuperCab cabin and short cargo compartment design, and the appearance of the same as the standard version of the F-150 also stopped here. The new black front face design is inlaid with the word FORD, which is simple and self-explanatory. Off-road bumpers and black front and rear feminins give the new car a powerful visual, while the advent of the 35-inch Bailuchi KO off-road tires adds the finishing touch to the F-150 SVT Raptor's mighty temperament.
2009款F-150 SVT Raptor
In order for the F-150 SVT Raptor to deliver on its promise to be born out of the Baja Trophy, Jamal's engineering team made extra radical optimizations. In order to ensure the stability of the new car in the high-speed crossing state, the F-150 SVT Raptor's wheelbase has been widened by 7 inches; in order to ensure the vehicle's handling performance on complex non-paved roads, the new car adopts a new front suspension design, the upper/lower control arm, tie rod and half shaft are all new products; in order to ensure that the new car can conquer most of the obstacles in the wild, the front suspension stroke of the new car is increased by 11.2 inches, the rear suspension travel is increased by 13.4 inches, and the competitive shock absorber from FOX also gives the F-150 The SVT Raptor has plenty of confidence in the face of any road ups and downs. In the important "heart" part, a newly developed 6.2-liter V8 naturally aspirated engine can provide 411 horsepower and 588 Nm, which effectively guarantees the performance of the vehicle at high speeds.
The 2008 SVT F-150 Raptor R competed in the Baja 1000
Interestingly, after the demonstration at the SEMA Modification Show, an SVT F-150 Raptor R racing car based on a trial production model departed from Las Vegas, where the show is located, and rushed to Ensenada in the Baja Peninsula to compete in the original Baja 1000 category that year. The race car, powered by an enhanced 6.2-litre V8 naturally aspirated engine, boasted a maximum power of 500 horsepower, and after a long run, the almost indistinguishable car finished third in the group, with even five of the nine teams in the same group not completing the race. In addition to the strong team guarantee, the amazing performance of the debut is also an indispensable part of the strong performance and stability of the car itself.
2017款F-150 Raptor
The original model pioneered the original high-performance off-road pickup truck, and the recognition from consumers ensured that the sequel was taken to the next level. The second-generation F-150 Raptor, launched in 2017, continues the Baja gene of the previous model and has significantly improved performance. The most significant change is the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 twin-turbo engine, which is cognate with the new generation of Ford GT, which can burst out a maximum power of 422 horsepower and a peak torque of 672 Nm, which is a significant increase compared to the 6.2-liter V8 engine used by the previous model, and the matching 10-speed automatic transmission also helps this generation of F-150 Raptors to have a double improvement in acceleration performance and fuel economy, bringing owners a more efficient and energy-efficient travel experience.
6 driving modes on the 2017 F-150 Raptor
In addition, the vehicle is not only further enhanced in the chassis suspension section, but also the matching electronic control system is more refined. Among the 6 optional driving modes, the new "Baja" mode directly displays the racing pedigree of the F-150 Raptor in front of the user without reservation, through the power response, exhaust sound and even the speed limit of the opening, a more complete Raptor appeared, no wonder this mode was jokingly called "the best way to open the F-150 Raptor" by engineers.
The all-new generation F-150 Raptor
The new generation of F-150 Raptors that will soon meet Chinese users is another evolution of the high-speed off-road king, in addition to further portraying Kong Wu's powerful temperament in appearance, the hardware upgrade is also eye-catching. The 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 twin-turbo engine was retained, but the power was increased to 311 kW, the peak torque reached 684 Nm, and the 10-speed automatic transmission optimized to reduce fuel consumption under the NEDC's combined conditions by 10%.
The all-new generation F-150 Raptor features a five-link rear suspension with FOX shock absorbers
But the most anticipated part of the new model is the tailor-made new five-link rear suspension. The system features custom-built extra-long tow arms, lateral levers, and the longest 24-inch coil spring in its class, resulting in the best suspension travel of any previous model for better control of axle and movement position in extreme terrain. At the same time, the latest new generation of FOX shock absorbers with Live Valve electronic control technology has doubled the damping control range, and the damping coefficient can be adjusted up to 500 times per second according to multi-sensor data such as shock absorbers and suspension heights, accelerating the feedback of terrain changes, making desert running more freely, and driving comfort on off-road roads and ordinary roads has also been comprehensively improved.
The all-new Ford F-150 Raptor will also come standard with a TMS Terrain Management System with seven driving modes, Trail 1-Pedal Drive, Trail Control and other powerful off-road features, making driving on extreme roads such as rock climbing easy. Users can choose the driving mode corresponding to the actual driving scene according to their needs, so that the off-road environment full of difficulties and obstacles can be escorted by intelligent technology. At the same time, the well-received Baja model has also been retained. Carl Widmann, principal engineer on Ford's performance team, said, "Just like the Baja Trophy car, every detail of the F-150 Raptor is to give you a great and comprehensive performance when you are running at full speed in the wild desert. ”
After 12 years and three generations of models, the F-150 Raptor has grown from a pioneer in super-performance off-road pickup trucks to the king of this field, and its product power is the result of the ford team's unremitting efforts for performance, and it is also the condensation of Ford's spirit of more than half a century of deep ploughing in the Baja race, and it is an excellent example of the civilianization of racing technology. The continuous innovation of the R&D team has opened up a market segment and achieved great success, making the original factory-tuned super performance pickup concept deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so that consumers have a new and unique choice, which makes fans who love Ford and love off-road racing excited. The F-150 Raptor demonstrates the Spirit of Ford's "Pioneering Innovation."
The introduction of the new generation of Ford F-150 Raptor to China is Ford's initiative to continue to bring Ford's global iconic products to Chinese consumers with Chinese consumers as the center, and it is also a strong proof that Ford China has fulfilled its "More Ford, More China" brand promise.