2025 Ford Ranger Raptor North Edition is ready to sleigh

The 2025 Ford Ranger Raptor North Edition has been teased for the first time, giving us our first glimpse of the world’s first ute that is capable of flight, and travelling at up to 99 per cent of the speed of light in the process.

Set to be revealed just in time for Christmas, the Ranger Raptor North Edition has been developed as part of a collaboration between Ford Design Australia and the one-man global logistics and international delivery superstar Kris Kringle.

Led by Ford Australia designer Kirby Masterman, the one-off ute took 10-weeks to develop with input from the Blue Oval’s Experimental Laboratory Foundation (ELF) and engineers from the brand’s top-secret R&D hub at the North Pole.

Built to be Kringle’s everyday sleigh, the Raptor North Edition needed to be capable of sustained flight, not the just short bursts of airborne travel the current 292kW twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 is capable of.

That explains why the special-order ute comes with a micro-sized rocket capable of cruising at around 60,000 feet and an impressive 4,705,882km/h.

Ensuring smooth flying, there’s a Levacar Mach 1 levitation system and a pair of neat retractable wings to boost stability.

Protecting occupants from being vaporised by the heat at travelling at such high speeds is an enhanced front grille that features a new PPF protective film that incorporates Unobtanium.

Posing significant headaches for all those involved with ensuring the North Edition is ADR-compliant, Kringle was as demanding as they come, asking engineers to seal all four doors and install a new roof port positioned over the driver seat.

Heated cup holders designed to maintain mugs of chocolate at an optimum 58 degrees Celsius were added within, while on the rear bed, Kringle demanded engineers install an integrated full-width tailgate BBQ to use during his holidays.

Perhaps more important come the early hours of December 25 is the infinite payload and volume of the tub, with the Santa-spec Raptor easily carrying enough presents for the world’s 800 million children.

Another handy addition is the Gingerbread-crumb SYNC infotainment system that adds an AI-powered list management system, advanced navigation and weather monitoring to guarantee pin-point delivery accuracy.

Ford Australia designer Kirby Masterman said the brief-to-presentation process was “intense” at the best of times, but well worth it.

“Luckily I had great support from the team here in Australia, the ELF team in the U.S and my colleagues at our North Pole studio, I’m so glad I was asked to get involved in this project,” he said.

Not detailed is just how much Kris Kringle spent but, considering the tech incorporated, it’s thought he could have splashed out as much a nine- or 10-figure sum…

“The sleigh and reindeer are my brand and will always be part of my work life,” the delighted customer said.

“But I was looking for something that could be used on the other 364 days of the year, or at Christmas if necessary. I guess you could say I was looking for my everyday sleigh.”

Ford Australia has already ruled out pushing the Ranger North Edition into production, but confirmed its rugged workhorse will be replaced in 2027 by a new game-changing all-electric ute.

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