During a recent vehicle development trip to Ford’s proving grounds in Germany, rallycross driver and Top Gear host Tanner Foust found himself with a few days to kill. Sightseeing along the Rhine isn’t Foust’s style, so he arranged to borrow a car from Ford and headed off to the Nürburgring for some hot laps.
Foust wasn’t behind the wheel of a Shelby GT500 or the new Fiesta ST; instead, Ford handed him the keys to an SVT Raptor, which is an interesting choice for a drive on the ‘Ring. Pickup trucks in Germany are about as common as Bugatti Veyrons in the United States, so Ford’s fastest F-150 definitely drew some attention on the track.
The video below doesn’t show lap times, but we wouldn’t expect anything too quick from a stock ride height Raptor riding on off-road tires. Foust seems to enjoy wheeling the pickup around the Green Hell, and it appears that he spent plenty of time sideways through corners, undoubtedly giving spectators the show of their lives.
Attention whoring aside, there’s another advantage we can think of to driving a Raptor on the ‘Ring: thanks to the truck’s off-road-focused suspension, the track’s curbing can be used to add more real estate to each corner. Put a wheel or two off the pavement, and we’ll bet the Raptor handles things a lot better than a Porsche 911, too.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
