Ford F150 1987 News

It's the second-generation version of the Raptor, an off-road performance model that has gained a cult following since it was first introduced in 2010.Only a handful of first-generation Raptors made it to Australia because the vehicle was only made in left-hand drive and interested customers had to have them converted.The new Raptor has an even bolder and chunkier look than the first.Sadly, the story is the same this time around, with no plans to build the new Raptor with the steering wheel on the correct side of the dashboard.Interestingly, many Australian Ford Ranger ute owners have shown their love of the Raptor by fitting Raptor-style grilles with FORD printed in big letters.The new Raptor has an even bolder and chunkier look than the first.It is all-new and brings some interesting new technology to the sport truck class.The most striking is the high-output turbocharged V6, which replaces the previous generation V8.A 6.2-litre eight propelled the old Raptor, generating a handy 307kW and 588Nm of torque.Ford did not reveal the power and torque figures of the new vehicle's 3.5-litre turbo V6 when it rolled out the car at the Detroit motor show earlier this month, but did say it would generate more power and torque than the V8 it replaces.The company also said the Raptor engine would be linked to a new 10-speed automatic transmission.Another radical change is the new body shell that is made from aluminium instead of steel. Ford says this change alone saves 227kg.The aluminium-bodied Raptor comes just months after Ford introduced the new-generation F-Series, which also features an aluminium shell.The Raptor features new Fox Racing shock absorbers developed for fast off-road driving, and has improved travel over the last generation truck.

NSW Police take delivery of Australia's toughest police car, the Ford F150 Raptor.NSW Police have taken delivery of Australia's toughest highway patrol vehicle: a V8-powered Ford "monster truck" from the US.The Ford F150 Raptor, funded by the NSW Centre For Road Safety, will be shown publicly for the first time at Friday's opening of the V8 Supercar championship street race finale at Homebush Bay.The menacing black Ford pick-up will be used to work with the police trail-bike team and will be displayed at community events as the flagship vehicle for the highway patrol's "high visibility" road safety campaign."It's about talking to car enthusiasts on their level and having them understand the technology we have available," said John Hartley, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner and Commander of Traffic and Highway Patrol.RELATED: Australian police could get Ford MustangMORE: Police take delivery of a supercharged Falcon GTThe black beast pick-up truck imported from the US and converted to right-hand-drive locally is powered by a massive 6.2-litre V8 and is estimated to be worth close to $140,000.It is believed to the first vehicle of its type used by law enforcement anywhere in Australia.The Ford F150 Raptor, originally designed for desert racing in the US, joins a fleet of high profile vehicles that police use to "start a conversation" with young drivers that don't usually engage with police."The vast majority of motoring enthusiasts are safe drivers who do the right thing … but once more people realise how much technology we have to detect dangerous drivers, hopefully they'll be less inclined to break the law," said Assistant Commissioner Hartley."(The F150 Raptor) will be used at community events at regional and metropolitan locations. The aim of the vehicle on display is to bring motoring enthusiasts and police together … and initiate discussion about road safety."With its heavy-duty, desert-racing suspension and go-anywhere four-wheel-drive ability, the Ford F150 Raptor can also be used as a support vehicle for the police trail-bike team that will crack down on illegal use of unregistered motorcycles over the summer break.Fast facts: Ford F150 RaptorPrice: $140,000 (estimated)Engine: 6.2-litre V8Power: 306kW/588NmTransmission: Six-speed autoSuspension: Heavy duty Fox Racing shock absorbers0 to 100kmh: 7.1 seconds

Ken Block shows how easy it is to smoke the trax on his F-150 Raptor while its tethered to a wall.It's probably the least complicated piece of driving Ken Block has ever done. Forget gymkhanas through cities and elaborate displays of precision car control, just tie an F-150 RaptorTRAX to the wall and floor it.Smoke? You betcha. Noise? Oh yes.And if you think about what it costs to replace the rubber, well, there's another thing to bring water to your eyes.

Who needs a chairlift when you've got a Ford F-150 RaptorTRAX.Ken Block's latest contribution to the internet sees the heavily modified Ford F-150 RaptorTRAX unveiled earlier this year being put through its paces on the ski slopes of Baldface Lodge in Canada. While not skilful or carefully choreographed as his regular Gymkhana videos, its pretty impressive to watch the RaptorTRAX seemingly defy physics as it conquers the slopes. Block describes the RaptorTRAX as the ultimate backcountry snowboard expedition vehicle, and it does a pretty good job of transporting fellow Monster Energy athletes Zak Hale and Ethan Deiss in the custom tray. Aside from the Mattracks treads replacing the Raptor's all-terrain tyres, the RaptorTRAX has scored a bevy of expedition gear from aftermarket firm Special Vehicle Concepts, including snowboard racks, a roof basket, a rear-mounted winch, exterior audio system, Rigid Industries LED lighting, plus a driver-appropriate pseudo camouflage paintjob. The Raptor's 6.2-litre V8 has also been supercharged, and a full roll cage and Recaro seating add performance cred to the build.

Ken Block has already shown us the snow-traversing ability of tank-style tracks with his old Subaru WRX rally car, but the now Ford-aligned internet sensation has combined the military-bred treads with the coolest and most off-road ready pickup in Ford’s US lineup, the F-150 Raptor.Called the RaptorTRAX, the new ute is set to star in an upcoming snow-based Ken Block video and is being billed as “the ultimate backcountry snowboard expedition vehicle” and “the world's fastest snowcat for backcountry snowboarding.”Aside from the Mattracks treads replacing the Raptor’s all-terrain tyres, the RaptorTRAX has scored a bevy of expedition gear from aftermarket firm Special Vehicle Concepts, including snowboard racks, a roof basket, a rear-mounted winch, exterior audio system, Rigid Industries LED lighting, plus a driver-appropriate pseudo camouflage paintjob. The Raptor’s 6.2-litre V8 has also been supercharged, and a full roll cage and Recaro seating add performance cred to the build.The move from Block’s regular Ford Fiesta gymkhana machine to an apple-pie pickup is likely to broaden his appeal right across heartland USA, and almost guaranteed to tickle our snow-driving fantasies too."This project is something I've had in my head for a while now," Block says. "I absolutely love my daily driver Ford Raptor, especially since I live out here in the mountains of Park City , so to build out this mountain assault vehicle with a Raptor as the base platform made total sense to me. It's an absolute beast of a machine and I'm stoked with how it's turned out. Next up is for me to take it deep into the backcountry ASAP to help me and some friends slay some powder on our snowboards.”You’ll have to hold your horsepower to see it in action though, as the Ken Block RaptorTRAX video isn’t set to appear for around 12 months, during the next Northern Hemisphere winter. In the meantime, the tricked truck will make its (static) public debut at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado later this week. 

Using terms such as ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘sustainability’ when talking about the Ford F-150 doesn’t quite feel right. But, Ford is now working to make the F-150 cleaner and greener, even to the point of using sustainable materials in the production of the ultra-popular pick-up. The auto giants recently substituted talc-based reinforcement in an electrical harness with rice hulls, a naturally grown by-product of rice grain. This follows the introduction of other sustainable materials into the tough truck in recent times, including; Recycled cotton: Used as carpet insulation and a sound absorber. Soybeans: Used to make seat cushions, seat backs and head restraints. Recycled carpet: Some F-150 trucks have cylinder head covers made with EcoLon, a nylon resin produced from 100 percent post-consumer recycled carpet. Recycled tires: A thermoplastic material made from recycled tires and post-consumer recycled polypropylene is used to make shields and some under body covers on the F-150. Recycled plastic soda pop and water bottles: A lightweight fibre derived from recycled plastic soda pop and water bottles is used to construct F-150 wheel liners and shields. Recycled post-industrial plastics: Used in interior finish panels, including around radio and climate controls. Beyond the sustainable materials the model now also offers two engines that are much more environmentally friendly than power plants traditionally offered in the pick-up. Ford recently slotted a 3.5-litre turbo EcoBoost engine under the bonnet, and from next year a V6 engine will be offered that can operate on either natural gas or petrol through separate fuel systems. Ford sells a mammoth 650,000 F-Series trucks each year so it stands to reason that efficiency gains and the use of sustainable materials will have a significant positive impact on the environment. Joel Helmes is the editor of the Behind the Wheel radio program, heard on more than 150 stations around Australia, and www.behindthewheel.com.au  

The first official images of the highly anticipated successor for the Ferrari Enzo - codename F150 - have popped up in the Italian sports car maker’s in house magazine. The pictures show the nose of the car and feature swept-back headlights and an attractive sculpted bonnet. The Enzo replacement is rumoured to use a 7.3-litre V12 together with an F1 style KERS electric motor to develop in excess of 590 kW of power. That’s significantly more than the legendary original Enzo which produced 478 kW. That sort of power combined with significant weight savings - which Ferrari has already foreshadowed at The Paris Motor Show with their carbon fibre chassis – is guaranteed to result in exhilarating performance. The new Ferrari is tipped to have relentless acceleration and a 0-100km/h time of less than 3 seconds. There’s also talk of a double clutch gearbox and ceramic brakes as standard but that’s to be expected for such a flamboyant supercar. When this top of the range Italian stallion goes on sale sometime in late 2013 it is unlikely to retain the F150 codename given the 2011 legal stoush with Ford over the name. It seems The Blue Oval were upset about alleged misappropriating of the famous Ford F-150 pickup name when Ferrari tried to name their 2011 F1 car F150. As a result the successor to the Enzo is rumoured to be wearing a F70 badge.                    

The trucks, including the top-selling F-150, are being recalled because straps that secure fuel tanks can corrode and allow the tanks to fall.The defect has led to three fires and one injury in the US. The recall covers 1.1 million pickup trucks, including F-150s from model years 1997 to 2004; F-250s from model years 1997 to 1999; and Lincoln Blackwoods from model years 2002 to 2003.No Australian vehicles are included in the notice.Ford earlier this year recalled more than 1 million F-150s for defects that could prevent the airbags from deploying properly.

And until recently it’s only been available with muscular V8 engines. But in what must surely be a sign of the times, it now comes with the Ecoboost V6.

About 1.2 million Ford F-150 pickups are being recalled after at least 269 incidents of what is being called "inadvertent airbag deployment". The airbag incident began when Ford recalled 144,000 pickups earlier this year, saying the unexpected airbag explosions had only affected vehicles built in 2005 and 2006. Now the net is being cast much wider with vehicles built from 2004 to 2006 involved, as well as the Lincoln Mark LT truck. The Ford action comes as Toyota - already hit with a long string of recalls in the USA - is investigated over a report that airbags failed to trigger in a collision at 88km/h. The owner of a Camry, Fred Maynard, has reported that there was no deployment when his vehicle hit a deer in Pennsylvania. The incident is now the subject of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota has already recalled 13.7 million vehicles as a result of safety complaints in the USA as part of a global total that now stands at 19.2 million. On the Ford front, there are reports of at least 98 injuries including two drivers who suffered vision damage. The recall is likely to cost more than $180 million as the company rectifies a wiring problem. It says a wire located in the steering wheel could have been improperly positioned so it could chafe, creating a potential short-circuit. The F-150 is not officially sold by Ford in Australia, although a number have been imported privately and converted to right-hand drive for local use.