The market for tuned vehicles is so large and varied that Texas-based PaxPower, at just five years old, is already a name in the pickup truck world here and abroad. One of its outlets, a Saudi Arabian Ford dealer, asked if the builder could do a regular cab version of the Ford F-150 Raptor R, which only comes as a four-door SuperCrew from the factory. When PaxPower said yes, the dealer requested two. The results aren’t Raptor clones minus two doors, but they’re as close as anyone’s going to get to the factory-spec F-150 desert runner in Regular Cab flavor. Frankly, the only thing missing is 0.2 liters of displacement under the hood.
The Raptor V8 fits Ford’s supercharged 5.2-liter engine making 700 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque. PaxPower starts with an XLT with the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Coyote V8 and four-wheel drive. Adding a 3.0-liter Whipple Stage 2 supercharger, more substantial cooling and fuel systems, and a cold-air intake takes output to 775 hp and an unknown amount of torque; Whipple itself rates the blower at 685 lb-ft. PaxPower claims the pickup will hit 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds.
The body’s dressed in OEM Ford Raptor panels including the grille, hood, fenders, and bedsides, which need to be cut down to fit an overall length three feet shorter than the factory truck. An overhaul for the undercarriage sees Fox Live Valve internal bypass shocks flexing longer axles, control arms, and steering links. To keep up appearances inside, curious onlookers will find Raptor seat covers with additional bolstering, and a Raptor steering wheel with its paddle shifters and functions intact. The package rides on 17-inch Method Racing Wheels wrapped in 37-inch BFG K02 rubber. The custom steel bumper with integrated six-inch lights, racing stripes, body-colored bed cover, and Borla exhaust with black-painted tips are custom asks.
PaxPower says its truck weighs 1,700 pounds less than a stock Raptor V8, which would put the doppelganger at around 4,300 pounds — still stout, definitely more fleet.
The tuner didn’t put a price to the conversion. It did, however, make a third version to keep at home as a test vehicle in case locals are interested, so don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.
