The MegaRaptor, a mutant Ford Super Duty pickup from MegaRexx, is big. How big? It’s so big, it disrupted international shipping for weeks after it got stuck in the Suez Canal. It’s so big, there’s snow on the roof that never melts. It needs rear-axle steering or a hinge in the middle. The turnkey base price is $135,000, and you’ll also want to budget for one of those wide-load pilot vehicles to drive a quarter-mile ahead and verify clearance for upcoming overpasses. Lifted diesel trucks, meet your new god.
The MegaRaptor recipe calls for a Ford Super Duty diesel 4×4 (F-250, F-350, or F-450), a 4.0- or 4.5-inch suspension lift, bridge-girder-size MegaRexx radius arms, trophy-truck-style bodywork with a clamshell front end, military MRAP wheels, and 46-inch tires that weigh around 400 pounds per corner with their hub adapters. The final drive is regeared to a 4.88:1 ratio and the speedometer corrected. The resulting creation is surprisingly proportional. Like mountains and skyscrapers, the MegaRaptor requires some known frame of reference to visually communicate its enormity. Those flared fiberglass fenders add 16.0 inches of width. The floorboards are about three feet off the ground. Weight? It’s flirting with 10,000 pounds. But that’s okay because the tires are rated for 12,300 pounds. Each.
Fortunately, a diesel-powered F-350—like the one hiding beneath all this chutzpah—is designed to haul, even when its payload is itself. You perceive the mass of the wheel-and-tire assemblies through the steering, and the brakes feel about like they would if there were a ton of concrete in the bed. But it’s surprisingly easy to adapt to MegaRaptor driving dynamics. Like 787 pilots and ship captains, you just plan your moves in advance.
Aaron Richardet, owner of MegaRexx, says the Ford Super Duty is so brawny in the first place that it lends itself to MegaRaptor treatment, even in F-250 guise. “There’s really no difference between an F-250 and F-350 except the springs, so our usual starting point is an F-250 Lariat,” he says. While MegaRexx will convert an owner’s truck, the upfitter usually just buys a new one and builds the whole thing—about 40 last year. (If you’re looking for stock Super Duty fenders, we know where you can find a few.) Richardet claims durability hasn’t been a problem thus far, despite the enormous wheel-and-tire assemblies. “Super Duties are overbuilt in the first place,” he says. “Ford doesn’t want grungy work trucks coming back in under warranty.” For the MegaRaptor-curious, we’d point out that while the F-250 and F-350 might be functionally similar, the F-450 comes with larger brakes.
This MegaRaptor was purchased by an owner who drove it about 3000 miles and then sold it back to MegaRexx, possibly after tiring of the mountaineering required to climb in and out of the driver’s seat. As of now, it’s still for sale for $169,950. It has some mods: turbo, intercooler, a tune. There’s a power control knob to the left of the steering wheel that offers five positions, from stock to “possibly inadvisable.” Stock, in this case, means 475 horsepower and 1050 pound-feet of torque, enough to propel our truck-pull F-250 Tremor to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, so the MegaRaptor feels quite quick enough without throwing any more fuel at it.
One nice thing about the MegaRaptor is that you can back it up to your house and look down at your roof when you need to blow off the pine needles.
In the most aggressive setting, it’ll bark those gigantic Michelins and shift hard enough to make you feel bad for the transmission. Plus, you’ll want to remember that the dials for handling and braking were turned in the opposite direction from the one for massive horsepower. There’s a reason you don’t see MRAPs at your local autocross. And if you ever do, that’s probably your signal to take an impromptu vacation at your nearest underground bunker.
Driving the MegaRaptor, you feel the eyes of the world upon you. Big-rig drivers peer over, surprised to see a pickup with the same driver’s seat H-point. Kids stare. Drivers of F-150 Raptors question their sanity. The MegaRaptor is a rolling eclipse. It makes every street one-way. One day, we saw a bird fly under it. This isn’t even a truck—it’s performance art that deconstructs the entire concept of trucks.
In our unofficial MegaRaptor public opinion poll, half the people think it’s awesome. The other half thinks it’s ridiculous. They’re both right.
Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com
