How do you take something that was built from the ground up to fulfill a single purpose, has been doing that very well for years, and make it even better? Hand it over to the folks at Shelby American, Inc. The folks at Shelby American were handed the keys to a 2013 SVT Raptor not too long ago, and were given the green flag to make it their own. Thank whatever deity or non-deity you see fit, because we now have, for sale, the Shelby Raptor.

What would you do with 575 supercharged horsepower at your disposal? Photo: Shelby American, Inc.

So, what’s changed about the truck? Let’s go through it: Among the standard features are Shelby’s own Whipple supercharger, intercooler, and Stinger exhaust, all helping to boost the base Raptor’s 6.2L V-8 from 411hp to 575hp. That’ll definitely make a bigger difference in the desert, don’t you think?

Of course, no Shelby would be complete without awesome aesthetics from the company’s graphics team. Standard on the truck are Shelby-emblazoned leather seats and dashboard, and a choice of three graphics packages: Splash, Traditional, and Snake, each with the trademark Shelby stripes. Interior and exterior colors allow you to choose from red, blue, black, white, silver, and “terrain.”

Additional bells and whistles include side fender heat extractors, a serial-numbered dash badge and engine plate, and boost and fuel pressure gauges. The total cost of this package comes to $17,995, making the overall cost (including the base vehicle) just a touch over a cringe-worthy $62,000.

If you’re game, though, Shelby is prepared with even MORE stuff to make the Raptor a blast. These are the “XTreme Options,” and range from a polished supercharger to custom-made control arms and running boards to a Shelby museum delivery. Swanky!

Whether or not its price point is reasonable, this upgraded Raptor as seen in the video above is sure to make it onto your list of dream cars. Don’t let the Shelby name fool you into thinking the pickup has to be kept under lock and key in a bunker; this truck is still meant for blazing speed on the open desert.