The nearly 4-ton pickup truck...
The nearly 4-ton pickup truck rolls on 24-inch American Force wheels with Pirelli Scorpion tires. Wheels have been upgraded from the standard 8-lug arrangement to the big-rig-like 10-lug setup.
Paul Hulst fabricated an aluminum surround insert and the custom grille, which is recessed 3 inches to give it the flavor of the Cobra's large, oval opening. The nose treatment also features Cobra-style cooling fans. (Incidentally, the original Shelby reportedly used refrigerator fans to keep the big-block 427 from boiling over.) He also tubbed the rearend and crafted the scoops in the rear fenders.
Andy Peterman of Hulst Customs handmade the side pipes and modified the suspension to fit the oversized Pirelli P Zero Scorpion tires, which are mounted on 24-inch American Force big-rig wheels with 8- to 10-lug adaptors. (In marked contrast to the original Cobra's 15-inch Halibrands with knock-off spinners and Goodyear Blue Dots.) The DJM suspension features Dream Beams (dropped I-beams) up front and a flip kit in the rear. This setup lowers the nose 8 inches and the back end by 10 inches. Extensive modifications were required on the wheels, frame, and suspension mounts in order to accomplish this aspect of the buildup.
The bed was modified with a new aluminum-panel insert, as well as a custom aluminum toolbox with a lid held down by hood pins in keeping with the racecar theme. Also in the bed is a Fifth Wheel hitch from Curt Manufacturing with a new hemispherical design.
Other custom touches include bedrail top caps shaped from steel, and the tailgate and rear bumpers were smoothed and painted. The Ford black and Wimbledon White stripe is Glasurit sprayed by Paul Hulst.
OK, so it has the skin of a Cobra, but what about the fangs and venom? That's where Banks Power stepped in with a Big Hoss bundle, striking with an extra 138 hp and 231 lb-ft of torque. Peterman modified the Banks exhaust to route into the functional side pipes. A Power PDA mounted on the dash not only provides key data readouts but also allows Hulst to fine-tune the output to precise performance levels, so this reptilian rig can be dialed up to either tow a Cobra to the track or make a lightning-quick strike on the dragstrip. Think of it as the truck equivalent of having your cake and eating it, too.
For creature comforts, Katzkin crafted a black-leather interior with Everglade alligator-skin inserts and red stitching (the closest thing available to a snakeskin treatment, we surmise). Red seatbelts and chromed rollbar hoops complete the seat treatment.
When you're not enjoying the music from the side pipes, a Sony Xplod sound system, designed and wired by Eddie Blay, boasts three 10-inch subwoofers mounted in a custom, fiberglass center console fabricated by Hulst Customs. Midrange frequencies emanate from four 6x9 speakers. In the rear headrests are Sony monitors, and the head unit has a DVD monitor with a touch screen. The Sony Xplod amplifiers have an innovative mounting in the leather-upholstered headliner. Dynamat was used throughout the interior for sound deadening and heat dissipation.
Looking back at that first Cobra built by Shelby in the '60s, it's doubtful he ever thought his roadster would one day inspire a truck build. But the Striker has just the right setup for a Super Duty that hauls ass.