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Ford Off-Roading at Barrett-Jackson
Ford off-road thrill rides in its new F-150 Raptor SVT sport truck at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car event.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted January 16, 2009   Scottsdale, AZ
Ford Raptor SVT will be introduced this summer fully equipped for off-road adventure. (Photo: Bob Golfen)

For those craving even more excitement at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event, how about a thrill ride in a new Ford Raptor SVT off-road supertruck driven on a wild dirt course by a top Baja 1000 racer?

Just east of the main WestWorld auction site, a winding desert course has been set up by Ford, a major sponsor of Barrett-Jackson, to show off its latest production vehicle that’s been performance-enhanced by the Ford Special Vehicle Team.

The best part of the ride is when racer Greg Foutz charges a low hill on the course and gets the big truck to fly about three feet in the air. Last year, he drove a specially prepped Raptor to a third-place finish in the challenging Baja 1000 in Mexico. That race truck was not far removed from the production Raptor being demonstrated at WestWorld, Foutz said.

“This truck is all stock; nothing has been done to it,” Foutz said of the Raptor that he’s beating around the course this week for hundreds of auction participants and spectators.

The 2010 F-150 Raptor SVT is an all-out performance truck designed for off-road adventure as well as daily driving. Ford says the Raptor SVT will be available in showrooms starting this summer.

The bone-stock demonstrator truck at Barrett-Jackson showed some amazing abilities at the hands of Foutz, whose FMI Racing of Gilbert, AZ., is sponsored in competition by Ford.

As Foutz accelerates to that jump at about 60 miles per hour, you can’t help thinking, “Man, this is gotta hurt.”

But after sailing with four-wheels off the ground for about 50 feet, the Raptor lands like a cat. Then, Foutz hits the gas and roars up the next sharp turn in the road.

“They took an F-150, started from scratch and rebuilt it,” the driver said, describing SVT’s work on the Raptor. “They beefed up everything in the front and rear suspension. There’s a whole bunch of stuff they did to it.”

Foutz shows off the Raptor’s agility in sharp turns and over a variety of rough and rutted surfaces. The ride is solid but compliant, the aggressive suspension soaking up the impacts.

The F-150 stands seven inches wider at the wheels than a stock F-150, with Fox racing shocks and 12 inches of wheel travel. BFGoodrich all-terrain tires are a huge 35 inches in diameter, mounted on 17-inch wheels.

Electronic features switch the truck from street mode to off-road performance with the push of a button, including antilock braking that’s specially calibrated for fast off-road driving. Unique styling gives Raptor a solid go-anywhere, do-anything look.


PROGRAM NOTE: SPEED's 39 Hours of LIVE coverage of Barrett-Jackson starts with 5 hours Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday starting at 7pm ET, with 10 hours of coverage on Friday and Saturday starting at 2pm ET and finishing out the week on Sunday from 2pm - 6pm ET. only and SPEED SPEEDtv.com is your home for Bonus features; Barrett-Jackson Chat, Live Streaming Video Feeds, and fabulous prizes with Hagerty Fantasy Bid. Don't miss a minute!



Barrett-Jackson "Celebrity for a Day" Promo on Sunday, January 18th, all attendees to the Barrett-Jackson event will be invited to enter a drawing to become Barrett-Jackson’s “Celebrity for a Day.” One lucky winner will be drawn at random at 1:30 pm and will receive the following:

- Live, on-air interview with the announcers from SPEED
- Interview for Barrett-Jackson’s behind-the-scenes television program
- Opportunity to ride across the block in an auction car and to be our “guest auctioneer” and hammer a car sold
- $100 merchandise credit for Barrett-Jackson merchandise - 2009 auction catalogue signed by Craig Jackson and Steve Davis of Barrett-Jackson
- One “VIP Guest” package for the 2010 Scottsdale auction

Must be present inside the main auction tent at 1:30 pm on Sunday in order to win. Name will be drawn and announced from the auction block. See Barrett-Jackson.com for details.

CELEBRITY FOR A DAY - Enter to Win, Sunday, January 18th - Click Here for Details
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Bob Golfen

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