Tricking out a tricked-out pickup

Aug. 2, 2017

Alright, so this one isn't likely to see any fleet or business use — but it could. Ford Motor Co. made up a specialty F-150 Raptor pickup meant to echo design cues of a Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jet that was auctioned at the Experimental Aircraft Assn.'s (EAA) annual AirVenture Oshkosh conference in Oshkosh, WI.

Aaron Marsh

The production F-150 Raptor, which the OEM refers to as "an off-road trophy truck," already sports some extreme performance credentials, but this one boasts even more. Gary Ackerman of Gaudin Ford in Las Vegas purchased the F-22 F-150 Raptor for $300,000, benefitting the EAA Gathering of Eagles. That fundraiser event is held each year to support EAA's education programs and encourage youth involvement in flight, and Ford said it has raised more than $3 million for the event since 2008 by creating collector vehicles such as this Raptor for auction.

The specialty pickup "has found the perfect home," Ford noted, since Ackerman is Honorary Commander/Ambassador for the U.S. Air Force's F-22 squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

545-hp courtesy ride around the base, anyone? Here's more in a video from Ford and EAA.

About the Author

Aaron Marsh

Before computerization had fully taken hold and automotive work took someone who speaks engine, Aaron grew up in Upstate New York taking cars apart and fixing and rewiring them, keeping more than a few great jalopies (classics) on the road that probably didn't deserve to be. He spent a decade inside the Beltway covering Congress and the intricacies of the health care system before a stint in local New England news, picking up awards for both pen and camera.

He wrote about you-name-it, from transportation and law and the courts to events of all kinds and telecommunications, and landed in trucking when he joined FleetOwner in July 2015. Long an editorial leader, he was a keeper of knowledge at FleetOwner ready to dive in on the technical and the topical inside and all-around trucking—and still turned a wrench or two. Or three.

Aaron previously wrote for FleetOwner.