First Drive: 2013 Shelby Raptor

If the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor isn't extroverted enough for you, the shrieking supercharged Shelby Raptor might be just your style.

Boasting a hefty 2.9-liter supercharger that boosts power to a solid 575 ponies, the Shelby Raptor makes Ford's factory effort feel rather subtle. And after putting the first Shelby Raptor made through its paces at a dedicated off road park, we agree with Shelby American's assessment that a high-performance off road truck really does fit with 'ol Shel's mission.

After all, Carroll himself was always a proponent of “more is better” - and by more, he typically meant power, flash and, of course, money. At $17,995 for the base Shelby Raptor (plus the cost of the donor vehicle outfitted as its buyer might want), the package is hardly inexpensive.

But Shelby American does a pretty impressive job selecting just the right parts to upgrade factory fresh Ford vehicles. And all Shelby-badged products come with their own special serial number and entry into the company's registry, two items that have a remarkable ability to boost resale value.

On the performance end of things, the Shelby crew slapped a Whipple supercharger onto the factory fresh 6.2-liter V8 engine, which brings the 411 horsepower stocker up to a solid 575 ponies. A custom “Stinger” exhaust system is also a part of the package, but it's barely audible over the wail of the supercharger.

Subtle, it is not
Fuel consumption aside, there's not much negative to say about the stock Raptor. It's plenty quick right out of the box. But with that supercharger bolted on top – holy moly! Squeezing the skinny pedal saw the tachometer needle flying to redline as the blower spooled up with its ferocious scream. So loud is the supercharger that it's audible from inside another car – with the windows up and the radio on.

In case we haven't made it clear: Subtlety is not the Shelby Raptor's forte.

What it does do exceedingly well is scoot. Our testing on the grounds of the Bridgeport OHV park in Bridgeport, Texas, didn't exactly replicate the kind of high-speed terrain where a Shelby Raptor would really excel, but it did give us a terrific feel for the way this truck performs.

Should you want to do a little off roading, the Raptor remains a seriously capable vehicle. Shelby hasn't modified any of Ford's throttle and traction control tuning, which means that an Off Road mode that dials back the throttle to prevent wheelspin still works as advertised. Without it engaged, the Shelby Raptor simply digs a hole for itself with even the lightest tap of the accelerator. On our tester, Shelby fit 35-inch BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tires to give the Raptor a little more clearance and a lot more rock-resisting sidewall and blocky tread grip.

Predictably, the Fox Racing shocks that Ford fits as standard to Raptors remain stellar in their ability to withstand hard impacts.

Given their sticker prices, few Shelby Raptors are likely to leave the pavement any time soon – so it's important that they look the part in order to please the company's rather less-than-conservative clientelle.

To that end, three graphics packages are available, two of which evoke the company's Mustang-based models. In addition, Shelby says it is working hard on developing custom light and bumper packages in addition to the bead lock-style wheels wrapped in 35-inchers.

Inside, the Raptor is mostly stock aside from the addition of custom Katzkin leather on the seats and a pair of Auto Meter gauges slotted into the center air vants, which look cool but fogged up on the outside once during our test.

That small issue aside, everything felt remarkably well screwed together on our tester, which lifts Shelby American above the typical “tuner” fold. This is a well-engineered vehicle that feels like a natural extension of the Ford lineup – simply, if Ford wasn't restrained by corporate fiscal responsibility, this is the Raptor it probably would have built.

Leftlane's bottom line
Taking an already extreme vehicle one step further was what made the late Carroll Shelby famous in the first place, and the Shelby Raptor seems like a natural next move for his brand.

Cheap it is not, but the Shelby Raptor is well thought-out and sufficiently complete to earn our approval. It makes a lot more sense to us than the Shelby Focus ST, that's for sure. If Shelby wants to move beyond Mustangs, this is the way to do it.

2013 Shelby Raptor base price, $17,995 – plus cost of base Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.