Ford Mustang Raptor is awesome

What would happen if the two best-selling Ford vehicles in Australia had a cheeky tryst behind the bike shed?

The Ford Mustang Raptor, that’s what!

This bizarre but compelling creation by X-Tomi Design shows what would happen if Ford decided there was a profitable market for a jacked-up, V8-powered rally-raid Mustang coupe.

OK, so the chances of a Ford Raptor ute and Mustang coupe being blended together are zero, but that doesn’t stop the concept from being intriguing.

The idea here is that the Ford Mustang is fitted with a lift-kit, heavy-duty suspension, some tough underbody protection, chunky body cladding and all-wheel drive.

The Mustang GT’s free-spinning 339kW/566Nm 5.0-litre V8 is probably sufficient but, if not, a 500kW Roush supercharger kit would provide enough mumbo to tear up a plenty of sand dunes.

The X-Tomi creation is quite detailed, with a Raptor-inspired grille and front bash plate. Even the pumped wheel-arches are lovingly integrated into the body work.

https://www.facebook.com/xtomidesign/photos/a.215930545517780/525407111236787/?type=3&theater

Remember Holden’s jacked-up HX Overlander and the more recent Adventra? Although they weren’t coupes, those Australian-designed crossovers (and the upcoming Aston Martin DBX) could be windows to a future in which the SUV boom leads to high-riding niche models based on all manner of traditional body styles, including sedans and coupes – not just five-door wagons.

Ford currently offers two Raptor pick-up models -- the F-150 Raptor in North America and the Ranger Raptor in the rest of the world. Both offer higher-output engines, desert-dueling suspension built for jumping dunes, beefy underbody protection, upgraded interiors and tougher exterior designs.

We know that Nissan and Mitsubishi are seriously considering building their own extreme rivals for the Ford Ranger Raptor super-ute.

HSV is also investigating a direct rival for the Raptor, based on the Holden Colorado SportsCat, but there’s no word yet on whether it is looking to developed a bush-bashing version of the $86,000 Camaro SS.

And at this stage we’re not sure there’s enough demand from Mustang owners for an off-road package like this…

What do you think – has the world gone crazy enough that someone might actually mod their Mustang like this?