What would you do if you got 40 thousand buckaroos on hand? I say I’d buy a badass truck. A Raptor surely is on top of that list. My enthusiasm for buying it goes full steam just as I read that Ford’s SVT Raptor is selling like an In and Out burger. Currently, according to the automaker’s press release, the F-150 SVT Raptors have already gotten some 5,300 buyers. This is way above their expectations.

Expected to boost their sales this spring is the release of the 6.2 liter V8 engine variant, with 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque, 91 ponies more then the stock 5.4 liter model.

Think of this as a clincher. Ford is also thinking of setting up them models according to the demands of their customers.Meaning, they can have packages ranging from reverse-sensing camera, moonroof, or the touchscreen navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link. Funny why people (according to the release) liked the black color more than the striking orange variant. I say it’s more badass!

Check out Autoblog’s news item along with the company release.

And you thought the Big 3 is reaping all the benefits, huh? According to the latest research of  the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, the ‘real’ winners for the governemtn’s Cash for Clunkers Program are the Japanese automakers. Sounds suprising, amidst the billions of dollars White House is appropriating courtesy of the public’s hard earned tax payments.

Consider the stats. Of the nearly 85 percent of the trade-ins from GM, Ford, and Chrysler, only 39 percent of it only moved off the lots. While eight percent of the trade-ins came from Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, accounting for 41 percent of new car purchases.

Aside from that, about 68 percent of owners of these Japanese clunker cars have replaced them with another form of Japanese brand, whereas 43 percent of the customers who traded in Big 3 vehicles purchased another GM, Ford or Chrysler product.

Still, the program for me was a a resounding success since the automotive industry kept its head above water. So what if the Japanese automakers are making a killing depsite these troubled times. What’s more important is that everybody’s benefitting from the program.

With my growing fascination for pickup trucks nowadays, I was particularly fancied by this article by Autoblog that, according to sources from PickupTrucks.com, the US Border Patrol is considering to acquire at least Ford F150 SVT Raptors for their rough terrain work. So why, among other hardcore trucks capable of chasing down crooks across the desert trying to cross the border, taking the Raptor into consideration as their transport of choice?

The guys at Autoblog describes the Raptor as nothing short of spectacular. They said it best, exclaiming, “Imagine bounding across the Nevada desert at 100 mph (fuel cutoff) and then leaping 45 feet through the air, landing, and doing it again and again and again. That is the magic of SVT and their Raptor.” That’s how monstrous the Raptor is. The secret lies in Fox Racing shocks: 11.2 inches of gas-shock suspension travel in front  and 13.4 inches at the rear. Not to mention the 5.4liter V8 and the new 6.2liter V8 variation under the hood. Plus, the Feds don’t want some fancy upholstery. Instead, they opt to don a more bareand brute type of cockpit to convey that they really mean business.

Read on the article for more details.

Gone are the days when Mom and Dad would argue no end as to what car to buy to answer their demands of comfort, performance, toughness and fuel mileage. Wagons ruled the roads for decades. And as the demands for varied performance arised, SUV’s clogged to the market. But the price tag skyrocketted, so peopleshifted to the boxier, more fuel- and price- efficient crossovers. In the case of the Ford Flex EcoBoost, all the bases for performance, comfort and fuel economy has been covered. This crossover cum SUV has really got it made.

For next year’s model, the EcoBoost will feature a new mean engine and the Powershift six-speed dual clutch gearbox. This time around, the guys from the blue oval will pack a 3.5-liter engine duo of turbochargers to produce V8 power with V6 fuel economy.

And there are lots more to discover about the the 2010 Flex Ecobooster, thanks to Autoblog. Check on the article to read more on why I definitely like this trooper from the hood to the trunk.