Ford_News
11-23-2010, 06:03 PM
Filed under: Truck (http://www.autoblog.com/category/trucks/), Government/Legal (http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/), Work (http://www.autoblog.com/category/commercial-trucks/), Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/), Off-Road (http://www.autoblog.com/category/off-road/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/ford-svt-raptor-border-patrol-630.jpg
(http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/)
U.S. Border Patrol Ford Raptors being delivered - Click above for image gallery
What the U.S. Federal Government wants, the U.S. Federal Government gets. And what the Customs and Border Protection division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wanted were at least 10 Ford SVT Raptor pickup trucks (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/07/report-u-s-border-patrol-considering-ford-f150-svt-raptor/) to patrol the area where Arizona borders with Mexico (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/automobile-checks-in-for-border-control-duty-with-ford-f/). Only problem is that Ford (http://autoblog.com/make/ford) puts a standard leather interior in all its Raptor (http://www.autoblog.com/model/raptor) trucks, which is evidently against the ordering preferences of the Feds.
So, what to do? Put in an extra-special order with Ford, make a few phone calls (give us what we want... or else...) and patiently await delivery - a truckload of specially liveried pickups that Autoblog reader Matt happened photograph and send in to us. We went ahead and contacted Ford to be sure that it managed to deliver the authorities the Raptors it wanted, and we got an affirmative... sort of.
Ford would need the actual Vehicle Identification Numbers of the trucks to confirm individual equipment levels, and we're not about to march on down to Southern Arizona to grab them. But Ford says the Feds did order Raptors without leather and that the Blue Oval Bosses complied. So we're going with a definite probably. Have a look for yourself below. Thanks for the pics, Matt!
Gallery: U.S. Border Patrol Ford SVT Raptor shipment (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/ford-border-patrol-svt-raptor-1_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/#3602350)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/ford-border-patrol-raptor-2_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/#3602349)
Reader Spy: U.S. Border Patrol finally gets its leatherless Ford Raptors (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19730843/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/ford-svt-raptor-border-patrol-630.jpg
(http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/)
U.S. Border Patrol Ford Raptors being delivered - Click above for image gallery
What the U.S. Federal Government wants, the U.S. Federal Government gets. And what the Customs and Border Protection division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wanted were at least 10 Ford SVT Raptor pickup trucks (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/07/report-u-s-border-patrol-considering-ford-f150-svt-raptor/) to patrol the area where Arizona borders with Mexico (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/automobile-checks-in-for-border-control-duty-with-ford-f/). Only problem is that Ford (http://autoblog.com/make/ford) puts a standard leather interior in all its Raptor (http://www.autoblog.com/model/raptor) trucks, which is evidently against the ordering preferences of the Feds.
So, what to do? Put in an extra-special order with Ford, make a few phone calls (give us what we want... or else...) and patiently await delivery - a truckload of specially liveried pickups that Autoblog reader Matt happened photograph and send in to us. We went ahead and contacted Ford to be sure that it managed to deliver the authorities the Raptors it wanted, and we got an affirmative... sort of.
Ford would need the actual Vehicle Identification Numbers of the trucks to confirm individual equipment levels, and we're not about to march on down to Southern Arizona to grab them. But Ford says the Feds did order Raptors without leather and that the Blue Oval Bosses complied. So we're going with a definite probably. Have a look for yourself below. Thanks for the pics, Matt!
Gallery: U.S. Border Patrol Ford SVT Raptor shipment (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/ford-border-patrol-svt-raptor-1_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/#3602350)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/11/ford-border-patrol-raptor-2_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/u-s-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-shipment/#3602349)
Reader Spy: U.S. Border Patrol finally gets its leatherless Ford Raptors (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19730843/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/23/us-border-patrol-ford-svt-raptor-spy-shots/)