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When Shelby and Ford team up, great things happen. Case in point: the newest Shelby Ford F-150 Raptor. We can’t think of a better word to use to describe this other than bad ass. Put a quarter in the swear jar because that’s honestly what the latest generation of Shelby Ford F-150 Raptor is.

Shelby American calls this version “the most polished off-road truck ever offered by the company.”

How polished? How does 525 horsepower sound?

“When Ford introduced the first F-150 Raptor in 2010, Shelby began building super trucks based on that incredible vehicle,” said Gary Patterson president of Shelby American. “Our latest generation achieves handling, ride and power levels no one could envision when Shelby American started on this trail.”

High-output engine gets the Shelby treatment

A 3.5-liter high-output EcoBoost V-6 engine powers the 2021 and 2022 Raptor for 450 horsepower. After Shelby gets its hands on the engine, horsepower increases to 525.

Shelby American worked closely with partners like Fox, Ford Performance and Whipple to create its vision of the truck. Shelby leveraged the new capabilities of the Ford Raptor, to give it more power, refinement, technology and handling capabilities.

The Shelby Raptor features new and better handling underpinnings, 75 more horsepower, an additional cooling package and an exterior with rugged all-American styling. The Shelby Raptor strikes an imposing stance with its robust bumper system, bed chase rack system carrying a pair of spare alloy 18-inch wheels wrapped in 37-inch high-performance tires, functional fresh air hood, Shelby stripes and badges.

“The Shelby Raptor has every creature comfort the new F-Series truck provides,” Patterson said. “And it has the capabilities to back up its bold looks. From skimming sand dunes to maneuvering the asphalt jungle, it’s by far our most polished off-road truck to date.”

“Best suspension system ever”

It wouldn’t be a Raptor, let alone a Shelby Raptor if it didn’t have a specialized, capable suspension system.

“The Ford F-150 Raptor and Shelby version of the truck have improved every generation,” said Vince LaViolette, Shelby American Vice President of Operations and Chief Designer. “This latest Shelby Raptor boasts its best suspension system ever, giant 37-inch off-road tires on aluminum forged wheels, functional off-road bumpers and LED lighting for any occasion. It makes impressive power, can stay cool in the most severe environments and look handsome while doing it.”

The all-new 2021-2022 Shelby Ford F-150 Raptor delivers the rugged capabilities needed for outdoor adventure. The heavy-duty suspension and underbody were built to withstand the toughest conditions with its race-proven FOX Live Valve system. The suspension provides a smooth and comfortable feeling on pavement with aggressive control and stability at high speeds off-road.

Creature comforts aplenty

As good as the performance is, the designers at Shelby American didn’t neglect the interior by taking an already high-quality interior and making it even better.

The Shelby American theme continues across the leather seats, dashboard and floor mats.

The interior was completely redesigned to elevate the owner experience with style, comfort and utility. The truck features enhanced materials, new color choices and more storage. The new Ford Shelby Raptor has standard over-the-air updates and a new connected experience that can deliver potential features like shareable digital trail maps. There is also SYNC 4 with cloud-connected navigation and voice search and the FordPass mobile app to check on the truck remotely and more.

“The Shelby Raptor has every creature comfort the new F-Series truck provides,” Patterson said. “And it has the capabilities to back up its bold looks. From skimming sand dunes to maneuvering the asphalt jungle, it’s by far our most polished off-road truck to date.”

How much does the Shelby Raptor cost?

The standard Ford F-150 Raptor starts just more than $65k but can quickly reach $75k+. With all the Shelby treatment, the price as you’d expect goes up from there. The Shelby Ford F-150 Raptor, including the truck, start at $124,820 MSRP. The truck is available through select Tuscany and Ford dealers in North America. Each vehicle from Shelby American has a Shelby serial number that will be documented in the official Shelby Registry. The cars come with a 3 year/36,000-mile warranty including powertrain. Individuals interested in Shelby vehicle can visit their local dealer or go to the Shelby website.

The bottom line on the Shelby Ford F-150 Raptor

The Raptor is a special truck. It’s the best of both worlds being fast and stealthy on the street, but being rugged and tough off the road too. When a performance-minded company like Shelby American “improves” the Raptor, that makes even more special. Of course, special comes at a cost.

The Shelby Raptor is more of a want than a need, but boy do we want one — or at least we really want to drive one.

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Jimmy Dinsmore

Jimmy is News Editor for PickupTruckTalk with an expertise in new vehicles. He is also a Ford Mustang historian having authored the book Mustang by Design (available on Amazon). His second book, about the history of Ford's F-Series truck comes out next year.

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