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The Raptor Diaries: Matt’s Raptor Meets the 2011 Raptor SuperCrew

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

“It’s about time a journalist finally put their money where their mouth is.”

-Jamal Hameedi, SVT Chief Design Engineer, when I told him I bought a Raptor

I purchased my 2010 Ford SVT Raptor 6.2 on June 2nd, 2010. I even took delivery of it in a gigantic vault, which is damn cool. Now it’s been 10 months and 13,000 mostly trouble-free miles, and I still love my truck. I say “mostly” trouble free because I did have two small issues: some play in the driver’s seat, and a sticking rear door handle, both of which were repaired under warranty at 12,000 miles. Needless to say, but said anyway, there is not another journalist on the planet that has more miles behind the wheel of a Raptor than I do. For my purposes, (daily driver, comfy road-tripper, shit-hauler, TST camera vehicle, and fun off-roader), there is simply no better truck than my 2010 Raptor. That’s what I thought until last week, when Ford dropped off a 2011 Raptor SuperCrew in my driveway for a review.

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23.04.2011 News, Reviews 15 Comments

Matt and the SVT Raptor Appear on Adam Carolla’s Car Cast!

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

All throughout the last few years of making The Smoking Tire and Garage419, I’ve wanted to do Adam Carolla’s Car Cast. Well now, thanks to doing my job properly on the SPEED pilot and just straight up asking to do it, my first (hopefully of many) appearance on the Car Cast. Adam, the Professor Sandy Ganz, and I spent an hour in the studio talking about how I became such a car geek, go karting, good advice for cell phones, vintage racing, and fat guys in little cars. And of course, we drop a few nuggets about the SPEED pilot we’re working on together. You gotta stay on your toes in studio with these guys, because my new nickname for Adam is going to be “Tangent.”

We then stepped outside the Gulf-liveried studio so I could show Adam and Sandy the most useful vehicle on earth, my SVT Raptor. Unsurprisingly, I get both Adam and the Professor’s seal of approval, and I teach them about proper Valentine One usage in the process. I also forget what style of engine the 6.2 is, but it’s a single overhead cam.

Video and in-studio audio after the jump.

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15.01.2011 News, Photos, Video 10 Comments

The Raptor Diaries: Part 1

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

On June 5th, 2010, I bought a 2010 Ford SVT Raptor 6.2L from Galpin Auto Sports. This wasn’t just on a whim, as I had been lusting after this truck since we borrowed one from Ford to drive on the 2009 Bullrun Rally. On that trip, we learned that, not only does the Raptor have more off-road capability than nearly every other car currently in production, but also it makes a fantastic daily driver, with levels of comfort, storage space, technology, and luxury that are on par with some of today’s best luxury cars. When we decided we needed a daily driver and camera vehicle for The Smoking Tire, the Raptor seemed like the only logical decision. Of course, I waited for the 6.2L engine to arrive, since you can’t make that extra 100hp in the aftermarket for less money than the $3,000 upgrade from Ford. 9 weeks and 3,500 miles later, here’s what we’ve learned about the best sport truck money can buy.

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11.08.2010 News, Reviews 34 Comments

Matt’s New Ford SVT Raptor 6.2!

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Every show needs a camera car, right? Well here it is, Matt’s new Ford SVT Raptor 6.2L. Back on the old show, Matt said that his next car purchase would be a Ford SVT Raptor. True to his word, the new 6.2L beast is now at its permanent home here at The Smoking Tire HQ. Expect the truck to appear on video soon…. Initial impressions and photo gallery after the jump.

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03.06.2010 Uncategorized 25 Comments

2010 Ford SVT Raptor: High Speed Desert Test

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

The Smoking Tire heads to the high California desert outside Borrego Springs to finally see what the SVT Raptor can do when things get down and dirty. Host Matt Farah puts the Raptor through its paces in the sand, on the rocks, and even from the air!

Protect your gear from the elements with a Ford F150 tonneau cover from your aftermarket F150 authority, AmericanTrucks!

16.09.2009 Reviews, Video 2 Comments

2010 Ford SVT Raptor: Built for Baja, Tested on Bullrun

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

hdThe Smoking Tire visits Ford’s Dearborn factory to pick up the hottest new truck from the Blue Oval: The Ford SVT Raptor. Host Matt Farah drives the SVT Raptor from Detroit to New York City for the…

03.09.2009 Video No Comments