This week will see Ford debut the Very Gay Raptor at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, demonstrating its ongoing allyship with the LGBTQ+ community.
The appearance of Very Gay Raptor will help to start discussions with the aim of addressing the issue of discrimination in the automotive industry, and beyond. With this firmly in mind, Ford will be presenting live sessions of its new “Tough Talks” series from the truck bed of the Very Gay Raptor, hosted by Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas, the first openly gay rugby union player.
The discussion sessions are set to cover a range of topics around the subject, such as how the industry can help to create a culture of inclusion and will feature guests such as racing driver Abbie Eaton, comedian Catherine Bohart, and Lord March – the son of the Duke of Richmond, who founded the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival.
Ford’s Very Gay Raptor was created in 2021 in direct response to a negative social media comment. The response to the initial rendering of the sparkling gold Raptor with rainbow graphics was overwhelmingly positive, so the manufacturer went one step further and the Very Gay Raptor was born.
Identical to the forthcoming next-generation Ford Ranger Raptor pickup, the Very Gay Raptor is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine developing 288hp and 491Nm of torque, aided by a race-bred anti-lag system to keep the turbos spinning.
Significant upgrades have taken place to toughen the truck over the regular Ranger, including lightweight aluminium suspension components, an entirely new multi-link rear suspension system, Fox 2.5-inch shock absorbers and imposing Raptor-exclusive 33-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tyres.
The cabin retains all the usual Ranger luxuries, including a 12.0-inch vertically mounted infotainment screen that houses Ford’s Sync 4 software, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. To add to the ambience, the Raptor has been fitted with sports seats apparently inspired by those in the F-22 Raptor military jet to hammer home the Raptor name just a little bit harder.
The new Ranger Raptor is expected to be available before the end of 2022, with delivery dates currently best described as fluid.
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