Ford F250 Powerstroke Baja Truck

Have you ever daydreamed about being in a car chase? No, we're not talking about the kind of chase you see in Los Angeles or on the TV show COPS, but the kind they always seem to have in the really good action movies-the ones where the heroes are running down some bad guy cause he's stolen something important or kidnapped some pretty girl. You know the ones we mean. If we ever got in one of those chases, this is the truck what we'd want to drive.

What you're looking at is not an optical illusion. It's a full-blown race truck built around the stock frame, suspension, and body of an '05 Ford F-250. It could be the coolest Super Duty ever. The truck was constructed in Southern California by Donahoe Racing to compete in some of the toughest off-road motorsport events (read about our Baja 1000 adventures on page 58) in the world. Masterminded by lead engineer Dylan Evans, and executed by George Scott and Ron Stockwell, this Goliath began life as a maroon F-250 Power Stroke truck that was destined for a life of commercial use.

In order to handle the abuse of racing and jumping a truck that weighs more than 8,000 pounds, the frame was fortified with aerospace-grade 4130 chrome-moly steel tube. Then, the suspension was upgraded with position-sensitive shocks that would look more at home on a monster truck than a 3/4-ton pickup. Though it was only months old, the factory trailer hitch was quickly trashed along with the original seats, A/C, and most of the interior. In their place has gone race-ready components from Kartek, a spare driveshaft, tie rod, track bar, and enough tools to perform a roadside repair on just about anything that could break.

By the time you read this, Donahoe's Super Duty diesel race truck will have run its third race against a fleet of gasoline-powered pickups and hopefully beaten them all. Rumor has it the truck is now capable of speeds of as much as 120 miles per hour. Let's see, that would mean with 44 gallons of diesel, you'd have a range of more than 500 miles. And with a top speed of a 120 mph and the ability to jump other cars, you could...well, you could outrun a lot of bad guys!