For off-road lovers, there’s hardly been a better time to be alive. From the Chevy ZR2 to the Jeep Gladiator to the Ford F-150 Raptor, almost every major pickup manufacturer offers a stock truck designed to go virtually anywhere. Most require no additional modification and even include a full warranty. If those still aren’t enough, however, Mil-Spec Auto just unveiled an impressive, Raptor-beating alternative that demands your attention.
Michigan’s Mil-Spec Automotive recently debuted its own highly customized Ford F-150. The build goes well beyond a typical facelift with bolt-on doodads and accessories that only make the vehicle look more aggressive. Every model starts with a donated crew cab Ford F-150 before adding a bevy of legit performance and off-road-worthy mods. Mil-Spec adds a custom-mapped Coyote V8 engine mated to a 10-speed, paddle-shifting automatic transmission good for 500 horsepower. The setup propels the 5,700-pound truck to 60 miles per hour in just 5.7 seconds.
Without any additional packages, Mil-Spec’s F-150 touts 20-inch Black Rhino Arsenal wheels and 37-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler tires. The entry-level build also features an upgraded suspension and an electronic locking differential. Adding the optional Baja Suspension Package provides for up to a foot of wheel travel both front and rear. The package also increases the track width a whopping 13.5 inches over a stock F-150 and 7.2 inches over a Ford Raptor. Every piece of accent hardware is constructed of durable, anodized aluminum and is powder-coated in gloss black.
Under the sheet metal, the Mil-Spec Ford F-150 is a legit off-road demon, but it also looks the part. An MSA Design Works front fascia and wide-body Baja-inspired bumpers all-around provide a more rugged aesthetic than any stock F-150. Customers can opt for a Baja Appearance Package that adds, among other things, a low-profile roof rack, dual KC Light Pod systems, and a chase rack with an integrated tire carrier.
As the company’s name implies, Mil-Spec (as in “built to military specification”) is already well-known for its hardcore modified Hummer builds. It takes the iconic and very capable Hummer H1 and tunes it to an almost absurd level. Starting with a stock, pre-2001 civilian model H1, Mil-Spec upgrades to a 6.6 Duramax diesel and an Allison 1000 transmission pushing 500 horsepower and 1,000 ft-lbs of stump-pulling torque. It then customizes every aspect of the H1 to within an inch of its life — all to the tune of more than $270,000.
The base price for the Mil-Spec Ford F-150 is $85,000, including the donor F-150. Adding both optional — we would argue required — Baja-inspired packages pushes the out-the-door price to just under $100,000. But, if you’re shopping for off-road trucks in this stratum, what’s an extra $15,000?
