Ford truck fans have been screaming for a high-powered counter-punch for the Chevrolet Reaper. Well, scream no more. Shelby American of Las Vegas, Nevada has announced today that they plan to market just such a Ford truck. It will be an off-road focused pickup truck, built on the Ford F-150 Raptor platform, and then it will be by Shelby for increased horsepower, greater off-road prowess, and better handling on the street. Shelby will only put forth 50 of these ground-pounding machines, so don’t procrastinate in beginning your search for one.
Boasting an incredible 700-horsepower, the Baja 700 will be the most powerful production truck ever offered by Shelby American. Shelby begins with a stock (411-horsepower) Ford SVT Raptor F-150 pickup and adds a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger to the massive 6.2-liter V8 engine. Now, throw on some larger throttle bodies, tricked-out fuel injectors, a bigger intercooler, a custom tailored Borla performance exhaust system, and a Shelby performance tuning upgrade and you have the baddest truck on the street (or off, for that matter). “In the best Shelby tradition, we took our already high-performance 575-horsepower Shelby Raptor and made it even more capable,” said Shelby American Vice-President of Operations Akos J. Feher. “Fifty lucky owners will have the baddest, best-handling and best-looking Shelby truck we offer. Not to mention, all of the interior fit-and-finish people expect from Shelby. It’s a truck that can thrive under the most extreme conditions.”
The Baja 700 can traverse miles of desert at high speeds and ride like a Town Car on the highway. This is accomplished using a high-performance suspension system that features Fox remote reservoir racing shocks, a long-travel suspension strategy, and 18-inch custom wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich K02 All-Terrain tires.
Classic Shelby striping, Special Edition graphics, and model exclusive badging compliment the outstanding color selections and optional Rogue Racing front and rear bumpers. “The Shelby Baja 700 is striking in looks and most of all, its capabilities,” said Vince LaViolette, Shelby American Senior Designer and Test Driver. “The off-road performance suspension system allows the Shelby Baja 700 to go most anywhere and stand out as it does so. We believe that we’ve built a truck with ultimate performance and off-road capabilities.”
The Baja 700 will be offered as a limited run special edition that will include only fifty-units. The cost of the Baja 700 upgrade could be prohibitive for some consumers, since they will need an additional $45,000 over the price of a base Ford SVT Raptor. All 50 Baja 700s produced will be outfitted with specially serial numbered plaques. They will be officially documented and registered in the Shelby registry.
“The Shelby Raptor became a star the moment we launched it at the New York Auto Show in 2012,” said Joe Conway, co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Shelby American. “Carroll had a love for trucks and brought his high performance, ‘Texas style’ to the drawing board when he envisioned the Shelby Raptor. This special edition Shelby Baja 700 builds on that vision, as it was created to conquer any terrain.”
*Photos courtesy of Shelby American*
