Those who crave the spotlight gravitate toward luxury SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, supercars such as Ferraris or Lamborghinis, and big trucks like the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram TRX. But where do you turn when your friends already have all the headturners?
Enter the MegaRexx MegaRaptor. It’s about 9,200-pounds of attention-commanding truck that can stand out from the crowd and tow a go-fast boat at the same time. Lamborghinis can’t tow a boat. Just sayin’.
At about $150,000, depending on the configuration, it fits within the price spectrum of the aforementioned vehicles, but the experience is entirely different.
I visited MegaRexx headquarters in Wilmington, North Carolina, to spend some time behind the wheel of one of these behemoths. Most people stared at me, and it wasn’t because of my devilish good looks.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
MegaRexx MegaRaptor can’t be missed
Aaron Richardet, the owner and CEO of MegaRexx Trucks (and a practicing chiropractor), told me nothing he owns is normal. While his wife drives a Tesla Model S P100D, which he refers to as “the fastest microwave,” he likes to come out of Home Depot and know exactly which truck is his. The MegaRaptor is the definition of can’t be missed.
Each MegaRaptor starts life as a stock Ford F-250 Super Duty. Then the stripping occurs. The body panels ahead of the A-pillars and rear bed skins are removed and cast aside.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
A custom clamshell hood that looks like a supersized F-150 Raptor hood is fitted and secured with latches from a Freightliner semi. Made of thick fiberglass, the massive hood is heavy, so it takes some arm strength to lift it before the two gas shocks kick in and hold it up. It then requires that same arm strength to pull it down and release the gas shocks without letting it slam shut.
Richardet’s team bonds custom fiberglass rear fenders to the bedsides. The MegaRaptor’s body transformation expands it to 97 inches wide, which is just over 12 inches wider than a stock F-150 Raptor and 17 inches wider than a stock F-250. It’s like comparing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson from his relatively svelte WWE days to his size now as an actor.
That width is needed to house the 18-ply 46-inch Michelin X tires and three-piece aluminum 20-inch wheels, both of which are used on the military’s Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. That brings a whole new meaning to the phrase military grade. Each wheel and tire combo weighs about 450 pounds.
Every point from the door sills to the roof of the MegaRaptor rides 9.0 inches higher than a stock F-250 thanks to those huge tires and a 4.5-inch suspension lift. Carli springs and Fox 2.0-inch remote reservoir shocks sit at all four corners.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
It all bolts on and fits thanks to custom MegaRexx front radius arms that are both longer and slightly turned for the correct pinion angle with the larger wheels, tires, and lift. Machined aluminum adapter plates are used to ensure the MRAP wheels bolt directly to the stock Super Duty hubs.
Upgraded Icon dual steering stabilizers and an adjustable track bar help keep things turning properly. Despite the team grinding down a few bits on the frame, the tires still rub slightly with the steering at full lock.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
Amber running lights are fitted in the custom MegaRexx grille and Raptor-like Anzo USA headlights replace the stock units.
High and tight steel bumpers with aluminum trim plates replace the stock bumpers. These, along with the bed-mounted sport bar, set the tone. That sport bar functions as the mounting point for auxiliary lights, and customers can choose their desired style. Please go with round units, not the overused LED light bars.
Richardet said he views MegaRaptors as functional rolling art. These trucks are huge, but they are capable of towing loads of 18,500 pounds (albeit with a very large drop hitch) depending on the configuration. He noted that his team is prepared to make rear airbags part of the package for those who tow a load heavy enough that it may cause the rear end to sag.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
MegaRaptor isn’t meant for off-roading
Don’t be confused by the off-road looks. The MegaRaptor is meant for towing big toys, not attacking off-road terrain at high speeds like the F-150 Raptor and Bronco Raptor.
“You can’t compare it to a Ford Raptor or Raptor R, it doesn’t have that kind of suspension. Its primary function is to work and tow while looking aggressive. It’s form and function, pull a BobCat or big trailer while looking cool. It’s a rolling statement,” Richardet said.
Pushing a truck high up in the air and making it wider makes it less efficient, as does the 1,800 pounds of wheels and tires. Richardet said around town you’ll get about 12 mpg and that increases to about 14.5 mpg on the highway. Around town in mixed driving I saw an average of 12.3 mpg. Typically, Super Duty drivers with the turbodiesel engine should average in the mid-teens in the city and 19 to 20 mpg on the highway.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
MegaRaptor gets better with speed
My first impression of the MegaRexx driving experience came as a pleasant surprise. The ride height increase should make climbing in and out of the MegaRaptor a chore, but power-deploying Amp XL running boards help with the big step up. Once inside, it’s just like a stock F-250, though on stilts.
However, the factory tailgate-mounted step is borderline useless. Getting into the bed requires a big jump up. I’d recommend a portable step to get in, and especially to load and unload the bed.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
The MegaRaptor runs a completely stock powertrain except for new 4.88 rear gearing to handle the upsized tires, which means my tester was powered by a 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8 with 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque. The 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive system are untouched as well. The only other powertrain modification Richardet’s team performs is a simple plug-and-play Pedal Commander that minimizes the factory turbo lag.
Mashing the MegaRexx’s skinny pedal delivers a shocking jolt forward courtesy of that remapped throttle, the insane turbodiesel torque, and the regeared rear end. The accelerator is noticeably more aggressive at tip-in, and the turbo lag is blunted compared to stock.
At parking lot speeds, the knobby MRAP tires can be felt and heard as the huge tread blocks transmit vibrations into the cabin. Picking up speed instantly dissipated the vibrations. The faster I pushed the MegaRaptor the better it rode and drove as the tires just whirred along the pavement. The thrum was present but not obnoxious and a conversation could easily be had with occupants in the cabin.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
But those big lugs also affect the steering. Left to its own devices, the wheel would constantly wobble back and forth. A hand on the steering wheel quelled this, but any bump in the road instantly translated through the steering wheel from those big, hard tires, and there is always a little slop on center. Richardet recommends running the Michelins at a lower 35-40 psi to soften them up and provide more grip. I can’t imagine these things at the recommended 65 psi.
On the highway, the MegaRaptor fits between the lines with a smidge of room to spare. It’s under the 102-inch legal limit, but rolling down Market Street in Wilmington the MegaRaptor’s width became apparent. Both tires rode the painted lines on either side of the lane.
People were staring. The dude in the Ram 3500 Limited dually apparently felt his masculinity was being threatened because he sped up, passed me in the right lane, then cut me off only to take a right a few blocks later.
When adding weight to any vehicle I’m a proponent of upgrading brakes. Stopping is pretty important. Richardet offers a Alcon big brake kit upgrade for $9,000, but my tester didn’t have it. The CEO said about one in 10 MegaRaptor customers order it, but it’s usually only because they are ticking all the boxes. “It’s akin to upgrading to carbon-ceramic brakes on your Porsche,” Richardet said. I’d agree with his assessment as at no point, even while stopping from over 70 mph, did it feel like the MegaRaptor had too little braking power. This probably has to do with the fact Super Duty pickups are designed out of the box to tow incredible loads of 20,000 pounds.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
It’s illegal to use the auxiliary lights mounted to the front bumper or roof rack on the street around other vehicles, but flip the upfitter switches and they cast a ton of light. The lights came in handy while on a dark, empty, two-lane road as the Anzo USA headlights have a weird beam pattern with distinct hot spots that make it slightly harder to see the road, especially with the truck riding so high.
Parking the MegaRaptor is at best somewhat annoying and at times downright challenging. Think of it as a dually, but it’s as wide up front as it is at the rear. I parked it multiple times and in some lots it was wider than the painted lines. Forget about drive-thrus or driving down tight one-way neighborhood streets with cars parked on both sides. This truck likes wide-open spaces.
MegaRexx MegaRaptor
How much does MegaRexx MegaRaptor cost?
On average, MegaRexx builds a minimum of two MegaRaptors a month, and that volume increases to four to five when the team isn’t distracted with building the 9-passenger MegaRexx SVNs.
It takes Richardet’s team about four weeks to create a MegaRaptor start to finish. Customers can provide a used F-250, a new truck, or work with MegaRexx to acquire a new truck. Ordering a truck usually costs about $150,000 including the truck, or about $65,000 for a conversion of a used truck. The team occasionally builds trucks that can be bought immediately, but they carry roughly a $20,0000 premium for not having to wait.
Richardet said MegaRaptors don’t come with a warranty, but since the powertrain remains stock Ford’s on the hook for the running gear that remains factory. Richardet noted he’s gone to bat for a few customers when dealerships give any guff. As for the wiring, paint, and body panels, “I’ll take care of any issues as long as you aren’t being dumb,” Richardet said, noting full-lock donuts and recklessness are disqualifiers.
Anyone who decides to spend supercar or super-luxury money on a MegaRaptor will get the attention they crave everywhere they go. Whether that’s the right kind of attention, is up to the eye of the beholder. In the eyes of my 7-year-old son, it’s “the coolest.”
MegaRexx provided travel, lodging, and a ridiculous truck for Motor Authority to bring you this firsthand report.