Shelby American has introduced its new bakkie, dubbed the Shelby Baja Raptor.
The model is based on the 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor, which is available in the US – South Africa will be getting an off-road performance variant of the Ranger, known as the Ford Ranger Raptor.
The Shelby Baja Raptor has an aggressive exterior with off-road bumpers and 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 35-inch BFGoodrich KM2 off-road tyres. It gets LED auxiliary lights, power retractable running boards, a ram air bonnet and rear “chase rack.” It has also been equipped with two spare tyre mounts in the bed.
Power is provided by a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine with a cold air intake, a high-flow air filter, and the engine has been tuned to produce more than 391kW of power and 826Nm of torque.
Besides the upgraded engine, Shelby has installed a 3-inch lift kit developed by Fox Racing.
The interior gets a slight makeover with carbon fiber trim, Shelby custom leather seats and special floor. Other changes include individually numbered dashboard plaques and center console badging.
Only 500 units for the 2018 model year will be produced and pricing is expected to start at $117 460 (around R1 558 500).
Customers who already own a Raptor can have it converted into a Shelby Baja Raptor for $49,295 (around R64 8633).