What is it the politicians like to call it – the ‘special relationship’? That shared set of values that supposedly bonds Great Britain and the US.
They would have you believe our two nations are really one and the same. Same political ideologies, same cultural tendencies, same social make-up. Separated by the Atlantic Ocean and precisely nothing else.
And yet, if you ever saw the US’s best-selling car, the Ford F-150, parked in a movie set-picturesque Cotswold village – vast knobbly tyres pressing heavily into ancient cobbles, vibrant paintwork and bright orange running lights positioned as abruptly against sandstone brickwork as graffiti on marble – you’d think we had nothing at all in common but the planet on which we live.
For all that they seem completely absurd in an English village, though, Ford’s F-Series trucks are nothing short of a phenomenon in North America. Last year, 896,764 of them were sold globally, the vast majority of those staying within Canada and the US. The F-Series range also includes the F-250 and F-350, right the way up to the gargantuan F-750, which is the sort of thing you’d use to tow a stack of felled redwoods. But most of the trucks Ford shifted last year were F-150s, just like this one. In fact, the F-150 isn’t just America’s favourite car – it’s the best-selling vehicle in the world, full stop.
Amazing, really. It’s like a party that we Brits haven’t been invited to. You can’t buy an F-150 in the UK through official channels but, if you were really determined, you could import one yourself. You could even find somebody to convert it to right- hand drive, after which you’ll have spent close to six figures. Which kind of begs the question: what is the US’s favourite car like to drive in Britain?
This isn’t just any F-150. It’s the F-150 GT3, although Ford prefers to call it the Raptor. But like a Porsche 911 GT3, the Raptor has been completely overhauled and re-engineered, given much more power and kitted out with trick suspension components. It has all the single-minded purpose of a 911 GT3, only for a very different sort of task.
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Given that the average F150
Given that the average F150 goes for $50,000 I'd treat the equivilent costs with a certain amount of caution, the options list is where the profits are made.
I just added all the things to a Raptor you'd expect on £30k plus car and it came out as $68,000; I suspect that is more accurate.
Also you then add UK VAT of 20% to any US prices quoted in the the UK and the cars stop looking quite as cheap. It makes a Raptor cost ~£63,000 (still £48,000 base with UK VAT added)
Amercians earn more on average than UK citizens, the F150 is not a cheap vehicle.
If Ford could actually bring and F150 to the UK for £24,000 (US base price) I'm sure they would; it would probably find a market.
But I suspect the answer is that an F150 brough to the UK and equipped to UK tastes would probably start at a bit less than £40k. At this price it would be up against a lot of very nice SUV's so won't sell.
The F150 is large but it's not ridiculous, it's no bigger than a Mercedes Sprinter which you can drive on a car licence.
What!!
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Ford F-150
I'm surprised that Ford haven't built an RHD F-150 for the Australian and other RHD markets,if Isuzu,Mitsubishi,Nissan & Toyota can sell pickups inspired by the products of the Big Three,why not try selling the real thing. Pickups have been moving upmarket over the past couple of decades and even Mercedes have put a three pointed star on a Spanish built Nissan and asking £40k for it, Wheras the Raptor is the hot F-150 there's some pretty smart plush versions of the truck as well, so if it was priced and specced right Ford Of Europe could have a bigger brother for the Ranger,after all it only took fifty years to produce a RHD Mustang and look how well it's done. So give it a thought Ford after all UK customers might give the real thing a go rather than pale imitations.