A Cadillac CTS-V that has been transformed using Predator's C5R aluminum race engine to put out 806 hp.
But he grew up and, like most of us, gave up cars to earn a living. He ended up in the food business, first with a creamery and then with Giuseppe's Finer Foods, which supplies restaurants and private-label companies.
He has other businesses, too — six in all, including a holding company, an international and domestic trading company and a company that makes tanks and piping assemblies for oil and gas production. Needless to say, the man made money.
But it wasn't cars. So with his pile, Dennis Raybuck, who never forgot, started a car company. Sure it's small, but it’s got big ideas.
| Predator's chassis department works on a C-1 Corvette. + enlarge image | view slideshow > |
He and his team make and sell Pro Cup race cars; sand rails also known as dune buggies; street rods and updated muscle cars; cruising and sport motorcycles; SUVs and trucks; and performance custom vehicles, like a Cadillac CTS-V powered by a 427 twin-supercharged engine with 800-plus hp.
“We started into racing and sponsored a race team in the Hooters Pro Cup Series,” said Raybuck. And, yes, that is a race series. Pro Cup runs on tracks under a mile and is sponsored by the United Speed Alliance Racing (USAR). USAR is kind of a baby NASCAR. Driver Benny Gordon and the Predator race team have won the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Northern Championship for three consecutive years and took the National Championship in 2005. Now they're looking for sponsorship so they can move up to the Busch Series.
But Raybuck yearned for the muscle cars from his youth. He bought both a 1969 Cougar Eliminator and a 1970 Mercury Cougar XR-7. The shop dismantled the XR-7 down to the last nut and bolt. They updated the original 428 CJ (428-cubic-inch displacement Cobra Jet) carbureted engine to a modern fuel-injection powerplant and dramatically improved the handling characteristics of the stock suspension by removing the original factory components and replacing them with a Mustang II front suspension that is popular in street rods. Many other tweaks improved the drivability of the car while keeping the inherent performance attributes that made the Cougar such a unique car of its time.
“The '69 Cougar Eliminator project is still under construction,” wrote Chad Vogele, Predator's street rod supervisor, in an email, “but when it is done, the owner, Dennis, wants to road race the car. The car's capabilities will draw a fine line between full-blown race car and street car.”
| Predator's XTRV poses in front of the Glass House, Ford's worldwide headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. + enlarge image | view slideshow > |
Predator's star vehicle is the Mega Pickup, the XTRV, bespoke for individual owners. The team designed it themselves. There may be bigger trucks on construction sites or the coalfields of the West, but I felt like Alice just after she swallowed a small pill next to this baby.
Taking the Wheels to the Road
I drove the XTRV, which is based on the Ford F-650 intermediate platform. Predator has stretched the body to six doors and outfitted it with a 300-hp engine with 840 pound-feet of torque coupled with an Allison six-speed automatic operated by a dash-mounted, push-button gear selector.
A traditional gear selector on the steering column is available with the five-speed automatic as well as a manual with a floor shifter. Three hundred horses not enough? You can upgrade to 425 hp. Gross Vehicle Rated Weight, or the maximum allowable weight of the vehicle and the trailer loaded, is 70,000 pounds, which equates to a towing capability of 55,000, so you can pull the horses, hounds and also give the fox a lift the next time you're riding to the hounds. An ordinary, top-of-the-line pickup today may carry 9,000 pounds.
Hitting the big slab in this mega truck doesn’t require a commercial license or commercial skills — but what’s a truck like this without a CB and a handle? It’s the biggest vehicle I’ve ever driven, and I was impressed by its maneuverability; it handles more like a big, not mega, truck. The air brakes took some finessing — they're a bit jumpy — but you can order factory Ford hydraulic brakes.
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My XTRV didn't have a drop-down TV, special seating arrangements or an exotic sound system, but they are options. Clinton sees it working for corporate sales teams who could wow clients with a touring road show with state-of-the-art audio-visual all contained in this super truck.
While Predator does use Ford and General Motors platforms, the customization does not consist of bolt-on items that produce only the look. “Our trucks and cars are real,” said Jeff Towns, sales and marketing manager. “It's not just urban glitz.
"We analyzed what the other shops out there are doing, and we believe you can only get, for example, that Cadillac [CTS-V] with its level of performance here at Predator. That car hits its stride at 150 mph,” Towns continued. “We hooked up with Brembo, the brake company, and they put together special eight-piston, 15-inch rotors that are unique to that car. They went to the parts bin for Lambo. You can take that Cadillac to track day, beat up on the European cars and drive it back home.”
“Right now the specialty-equipment industry is $34 billion in annual sales in North America,” said Peter MacGillivray, vice president of marketing and communications, for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). “Those are significant dollars, because our industry, unlike other categories of the auto industry, is represented by discretionary purchases. These are all items that are driven by passion. We say, ‘Nothing you need but everything you want.’ We’ve been growing at about 8 percent for the last 10 years. We see that continuing as consumers –– not just enthusiasts –– buy into the notion of personalization.
Refining the Supertruck
“At this time, more than 60 percent of the products that are sold are for trucks and SUVs. It is a big market, and it is competitive, not only on the track but also in business, as well. A lot of the companies within the specialty-equipment industry get started as enthusiast shops and quickly become businesses,” he said.
| The Plymouth Prowler outfitted with a composite body kit. + enlarge image | view slideshow > |
According to Towns, Predator takes a different approach toward styling and refinement than many of its competitors. For example, International's CXT vehicles are very truck-like when compared to the appearance and interior appointments found in Predator's prototype.
“We have had sufficient interest from qualified buyers that have expressed their preference for an extreme tow vehicle that looks like it came from the factory and not a monster truck event,” Towns said. “International has expanded its model selection in the past year to include a truck that has a more refined appearance; one would have to assume this was done in response to a sufficient number of potential buyers stating that they liked the concept but didn't care for the design.”
Production capability for trucks is 35 to 40 a year, although right now the company only has prototypes in action. They can probably build 25 Cadillacs like the CTS-V and turn out in excess of 50 engines a year. But this is potential. Predator has been in production only a few months and no vehicles are yet available for purchase.
However, Predator is building a Mustang for Ford dealer Greg Murray, of Murray's Ford-Lincoln-Mercury in Dubois. "The car is pretty much a full-blown race car, but it retains some stock factory features that will allow him to drive the car on the street, like brake lights, turn signals, etc.," said street rod supervisor Vogele. "The car is a ground-up project that has a full cage and fuel cell. The engine is a 400-cubic-inch Ford that has a supercharger on it. It will produce about 800 hp. It is going to be a 200-plus mph car." Murray plans to run the car in Nevada's famous road race, the Silver State Classic high-speed rally, which takes place annually in September.
A custom truck built by Predator on the F650 platform has a base price of $140,000, but it can run up to $250,000. A custom engine costs $55,000 to $60,000. As for cars, simple T-buckets (Ford Model Ts) could take six weeks and cost around $50,000. On the other end, starting from scratch and building a car completely could take up to two years and costs $300,000-plus. It depends on the imagination and pocketbook of the customer. It will take anywhere from five to six months for a truck, and probably a few weeks to build an engine.
