Sutton CS3500 Monster Truck debuts in Malaysia
Think the Ford Ranger Raptor isn’t, errr… ‘Raptor’ enough? Well, how about the real deal instead? Well, almost the real deal that is... Just don’t call it a Ford F-150 Raptor.
Making its local debut this week at the Hamawangsa Automall, TTDI, is the Sutton CS3500 Monster Truck. This full-sized American truck enters the local market thanks to the efforts of local specialist importers Hamawangsa who has kick-started its very own local assembly (CKD) operation for the truck in Gurun, Kedah.
Essentially, this is a Ford F-150 Raptor that’s been fully re-engineered by renowned specialist UK firm called Clive Sutton. More specifically, this truck was conceived through its Sutton Bespoke tuning and engineering arm, with which Hamawangsa has a technical partnership for the model’s CKD efforts.
For the uninitiated, Clive Sutton is renowned in the UK firstly as a specialist importer. Secondly, its Sutton Bespoke division is renowned for both its performance tuning and Right-Hand Drive (RHD) re-engineering of specialty models, namely American muscle cars, SUVs and trucks – things that were never made in RHD in the first place.
On the latter note, it would be wrong for anyone to simply dismiss the Sutton CS3500 Monster Truck as a mere RHD ‘conversion’.
Given that the Ford F-150 Raptor base truck was never developed in RHD form, there are plenty of things that had to be re-engineered, re-fabricated, and re-produced, some right down to the chassis level too.
Notable re-engineered hardware and bits in this truck made in-house by Sutton Bespoke include the steering rack and dashboard, not forgetting other critical ancillaries like the windscreen wipers. Yes, much of these were made from scratch by the firm as RHD-compatible versions of them simply don’t exist.
Nevertheless, much of the Raptor’s core hardware can still be found in this re-engineered Sutton truck. Chief amongst which is the powertrain and driveline. The package consists of Ford’s 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost petrol mill, as well as the accompanying 10-speed automatic box and two-speed 4WD system.
In its base form, it generously delivers 450hp and 691Nm of twist. Want more? Hamawangsa also has an optional Monster Intercooler Kit available, which grants increased output figures of 520hp and 827Nm instead, but it comes at additional costs on top of this truck’s already astronomical price – we’ll get to that in a bit…
Also retained from the Raptor are its three-inch FOX Racing Shox dampers that are paired with its long-travel (13 inches front and 14 inches rear) suspension, its electronic-locking rear diff, not forgetting its 17-inch aluminium wheels wrapped in 315/70 BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 tyres too.
On board features also mirror the original. The bill includes a 4.2-inch instrument display panel, 360-degree camera, leather seats that also boast electric adjustment, dual-zone air-conditioning, sunroof, adaptive cruise control, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross-Traffic Alert, SecuriCode keypad, and a Terrain Management System.
Aptly, as you can see from the pictures, Hamawangsa has opted to kit this truck out with other accessories, namely an array auxiliary LED lighting comprised of spotlight clusters, DRLs integrated in the grille, not forgetting a sun-shaming roof-mounted lightbar. In short, this truck is #LitAF as how some millenials would say.
This being a full-sized American truck, we know most fans will love the large flatbed and its additional utility features – besides its overall size of course. One cool bit in particular is the stowaway foot pedestal and grab pole as demonstrated in the video above.
Like what you see? This big, brash, ‘Murican glory retails from RM780,888 onwards in Peninsula Malaysia, or RM795,058 onwards in East Malaysia (OTR prices EXCLUDING insurance). Yes, pricey for a truck that’s supposedly locally assembled, but perhaps worth it for those yearning for a slice of pure Americana on four wheels.
If it eases your mind, the prices do include a three-year or 60,000km warranty provided by Hamawangsa’s sister company Nazamax. By the way, this is just for the local front, and both Hamawangsa and Nazamax are already looking beyond our market.
With the Sutton CS3500 Monster Truck’s local launch, both Hamawangsa and Nazamax are debuting as the regional distribution partner to Clive Sutton. Said truck will be CKD-ed in both RHD and LHD (Left-Hand Drive) forms, ready for export to other markets in and around ASEAN, as well as Australia.
