SPY PICS: Ford F-150 Raptor single cab
Angry little short wheel-base of the F-150 Raptor spotted – but is it a Bronco in disguise?One of the toughest utes money can buy just got a little tougher.
New spy photos of a two-seat Ford F-150 Raptor single-cab pick-up reveal show an almost production-ready ute, riding on a much shorter wheelbase than the current five-seat dual-cab version of Raptor.
The short-wheel base version of the US-market desert dueler would potentially be a more extreme machine than its bigger sibling by virtue of a lower weight, improved ramp over angle and a tighter turning circle.
A vehicle such as this, powered by the same twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 (336kW/690Nm) as its bigger brother (and the intense Ford GT supercar), would make for a bona fide off-road experience.
However its ability to maintain stability while airborne may be lessened given its shorter stature.
Wearing chunky footwear and brandishing the Ford F-150 Raptor front end and flared guards, a close-up photo of the rear suspension also shows what appears to be blue-coloured Fox Shox from the big Raptor.
With sales of the Ford Ranger Raptor slowing in Australia, a single-cab version of the 'baby' Raptor would be an interesting proposition. It's understood that such a vehicle is technically possible but as Ford Australia's product communications manager Damion Smy told carsales.com.au, there's no plans in place.
"We have no plans to introduce any other derivatives of the Ford Performance Ranger Raptor," he said.
Indeed, the chances of single-cab Ford Ranger Raptor are about as likely as discovering the submerged city of Atlantis.
A single-cab F-150 Raptor though? It has potential but reports speculate the vehicle in these photos will eventually blossom into a full-sized Bronco SUV.
Given the new regular Bronco will be based on the same T6 ladder frame that underpins the locally-engineered Ford Ranger and Everest, use of the F-150 architecture in this application could point to a large SUV version of the Bronco as Ford fleshes out the range.
A baby Bronco, or Bronco Scout, will kick off the range.
The regular Bronco sits in the middle and, potentially – based on this new development – a full-sized Bronco will cap off the SUV family.
The Bronco looks set to get removable doors and a range of different engines, while leaked images show how the exterior may be styled. Like the Ford F-150, however, it is unlikely to be manufactured in right-hand drive, which means it's a no-go for Australia.
As far as the F-150 Raptor goes, an Aussie version of the ute tweaked by Tickford and supplied by Performax is available here.
It pumps out even more power (354kW) than the factory-built F-150 Raptor but is priced from about $120,000.
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