It's no secret America loves pickup trucks, especially as the best-selling vehicle of any type over many years in the US has been the Ford F-150. But with them selling in such big numbers it's going to take something special for an F-150 to stand out from the crowd, although one that will get its eventual owner noticed is about to go up for auction later this month with the proceeds going to charity.
The model in question is the Ford F-150 F-22 Raptor, and it was created by the Ford Performance team led by Ford Design Manager Melvin Betancourt. This very special pickup is being auctioned on July 27 at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Gathering of Eagles event at AirVenture Oshkosh 2017, with the proceeds being donated to the EAA's youth aviation programs.
The connection with the aviation theme is that the truck is inspired by the Lockheed F-22 Raptor, which is a stealth air superiority fighter that's been patrolling the skies for just over a decade now.
There are some cosmetic changes to the regular F-150 Raptor such as the F-22 front grille and unique graphics, but Ford Performance went way beyond the purely aesthetic with this one. The twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 engine has been tweaked for a higher output using Whipple intercoolers and other performance modifications that haven't been revealed yet, and there are also some suspension and braking upgrades to what is already a pretty serious off-road truck.
Ford has been donating specially modified vehicles to the cause for a number of years now but up until now they have always been based on the Ford Mustang muscle car, so this year's pickup truck is something of a departure.
Last year Ford came up with a special Shelby Mustang GT350 that went for an impressive $295,000, which took the amount raised over the years to a total of more than $3 million. There's no estimate for how much the F-150 F-22 might go for, but what is for sure is whoever wants to buy it is going to need pretty deep pockets.
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