.

the car junkie daily magazine.

.

NAIAS 2015: The Other Two Fords In The Limelight, The Shelby GT350R And The New Raptor


NAIAS 2015: The Other Two Fords In The Limelight, The Shelby GT350R And The New Raptor

Ford’s new GT is the shot across everybody’s bow, a 600+hp turbocharged six-cylinder supercar with LeMans intentions, and looks that will polarize even the most jaded. But that isn’t all Ford is packing at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Next up in the firing sequence are two other hot vehicles from Ford Performance: the long-rumored and absolutely unholy Shelby GT350R, and the second-generation Raptor, based upon the aluminum-bodied F150. The GT350R is the flat-plane-crank monster that Ford has been beating the living hell out of at the Nurburgring, the one with the screamer of a 5.2L V8. This is the car that is meant to blow the latest Boss 302 into the weeds on a track. You can even get this car as stripped as you want. Air conditioning? Optional. Exhaust resonators? Gone. Backseat? Gone. The options list reads like a performance junkie’s dream. Sure, you could get all the luxuries added back onto the car, but why in the hell would you? It’s not like a modern car isn’t comfortable enough already.

ShelbyGT350R_02_HR ShelbyGT350R_04_HR ShelbyGT350R_08_HR ShelbyGT350R_12_HR ShelbyGT350R_10_HR ShelbyGT350R_16_HR

Then there’s the beast in the corner, the Raptor. From the bespoke frame, which must have been a response to a ton of YouTube videos of folded Fords, to the EcoBoost V6 that provides more horsepower and torque than the current 6.2L V8, to the ten-speed (!) automatic transmission, nothing was left untouched. The transfer case is a new torque-vectoring unit that “combines the best attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive with durable, mechanical-locking four-wheel drive.” Even Fox Racing Shox upgraded the shock assemblies to be more capable while providing more suspension travel than the current truck. Outside, LED lighting has been incorporated to improve visibility.

17FordRaptor_01_HR 17FordRaptor_05_HR

With the GT counted, that’s three gems from Ford…so far. Twelve total platforms are slated to fall under the Ford Performance brand by 2020, and their first shots are solid. We know that the Focus RS is in the pipeline, as well as a possible GT500 version of the Mustang. What else could they be bringing out?

17FordRaptor_08_HR


  • Share This
  • Pinterest
  • 0

7 thoughts on “NAIAS 2015: The Other Two Fords In The Limelight, The Shelby GT350R And The New Raptor

  1. Nick D.

    I’m sure the Raptor will be just as fast with the EcoBoost, but it’s going to be weird to be bombing along in one of those and not have a V8 soundtrack.

    On another note, GM must be feeling kind of silly. Ford delivers the GT, the Raptor and the GT350R in rapid succession and GM’s big bragging right was the ’16 Volt and Bolt EVs. If it were possible to be anymore embarrassed that I work for GM, I would be.

  2. Bryan McTaggart Post author

    Actually, GM’s play is (reasonably) smart this round. Sure, the Bolt has all the excitement of eating corn flakes, but the Volt has been continuously rated high in customer satisfaction, and the new one takes a lot of the “eco-dork” look out of the car.

    If any manufacturer needs to be embarrassed it’s FCA. Two Renegades, the Challenger T/A concept left over from SEMA, and just wait until you see the Ram Rebel…

    1. Nick D.

      Yeah, but FCA is still riding the Hellcat wave into shore. And although the Volt is a well-like car, it’s not a strong seller. Our dealership has sold 4 since they went on sale. Just 4. And we are the largest dealership in the Mohawk valley region. It’s too expensive, and even at it’s high price point, GM still loses money on each one they sell.

      1. Nick D.

        Heh, yeah. A bunch of dealers in the area have opted out of selling them because to sell Volts, you have to get all the special tools, you have to get a tech EV-certified and you have to install charging ports on the property for customer vehicles, and a lot of dealers (correctly) didn’t feel that the sales were there to warrant the expenditure

        Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the Volt. They look pretty decent, they’ve been really reliable with very few complaints pertaining to the EV system and I’ve driven them multiple times and they are pretty good drivers.

        1. mooseface

          That actually makes a lot of sense, there is a lot of very sophisticated tech making those cars tick, and I can imagine that they’ll want one of their premier cars to be handled properly. That adds expense.
          Much to GM’s credit I haven’t read much negative about them outside the usual real-world vs. estimated MPG figures. That’s pretty universal for any car, though.

          My one gripe with the Volt is that for all the amazing things that went into this car and all the ways they could have talked about it being very innovative and forward-looking, it just kind of gets billed as the “Chevrolet ToyotaPrius”.

          The other issue is that GM’s gotten themselves onto a treadmill with it. Toyota and Honda have been waging a hybrid war for decades now, and the tech is evolving very quickly as the pace multiplies with every generation. Jumping in feet-first with the Volts was a ballsy move, but they’ll have to run at top speed just to stay in place in the market. It won’t be easy.

  3. PJ

    I’ll take a GT350R in a heartbeat. Its just a shame that up here in Canada I expect the real world price to be in the $80g range. I was pricing a basic GT and adding the performance package and Recaro interior and was at damn near $47000 yesterday.
    Make it $60000 and I’d gladly drive one home (provided they aren’t all pre-sold anyways)
    It was a great day to be a Ford fan yesterday.

Comments are closed.