You can almost imagine the man himself, unfolding his sunglasses and slipping them on before ascending the step into a truck adorned with his last name. Instead, it could be you dropping the hammer and letting the supercharged Coyote underhood howl as you blast down the street looking for just the right spot to pull over and hit the trails.
If you look at everything my grandfather did, cool never expires. — Chase McQueen, McQueen Racing
This is no ordinary pickup, rather it is one designed to do it all on the street and be fully capable of some off-road fun. Its focus on functionality is an extension of the mantra of the King of Cool himself, Steve McQueen. These days his family is keeping that legacy alive with a growing range of vehicles bearing the McQueen Racing moniker.
Having debuted in the Real Truck booth during the 2023 SEMA Show, the McQueen Racing F-150 Off-Road Edition extends Steve McQueen’s off-road performance legacy with a well-rounded upgrade package for the modern Ford F-150. Under that Cervini’s Auto Designs hood is a Whipple supercharger that pushes the output of the factory Coyote 5.0-liter engine to nearly 800 horsepower. (Photo Credit: McQueen Racing/Steeda)
“Well, the one thing that we do have known for years is, if you look at everything my grandfather did, cool never expires,” Chase McQueen, of McQueen Racing, says. “No matter what, people gravitate toward cool. They gravitate toward things my grandfather did.”
You might recall that the McQueen family teamed up with Steeda to create an upgrade package for the modern Bullitt Mustangs, the latest of which was designed specifically for the black Bullitts and launched the McQueen Racing brand.
The centerpiece of the interior are custom Katzkins leather seats embroidered with the McQueen Racing logo. They are supported with functional upgrades like Husky all-weather floor mats, which protect the factory carpet, and a Real Truck under-seat organizer to keep your gear in order.
“Let’s go under the banner of McQueen Racing. Let’s take care of the black Bullitt Mustangs and so we have that program set in place with McQueen Racing where we will modify up to very good specs including all of Steeda’s state-of-the-art suspension equipment, Whipple superchargers, and things of that nature,” Bob Adams, of Steeda Performance Vehicles, says. “As a result of that, we thought, ‘Let’s take this to the next level.’”
Naturally, the McQueen name is most closely associated with the movie Bullitt, in which Steve McQueen piloted a ’68 Mustang in the most famous car chase of all time. However, he also had a long history in motorsports both on pavement and off-road. He helped create and race an off-road vehicle and even pioneered some safety equipment.
Real Truck supplied a full complement of exterior upgrades for the McQueen Racing F-150, including functional bits like rugged bumpers and power running boards as well as appearance gear like fender flares and rocker panels (see sidebar). It is all tied together by that striking McQueen Racing livery.
“Before it was the Baja 1000, it was called the NORA, and my grandfather raced it in a vehicle that he built from the ground up. It is still around today. It’s called the Baja Boot,” McQueen explains, “Not a lot of people know but if you dig deeper into his off-road racing history he held patents for a race and off-road racing seat. So for 14 years, he held this patent, and it saved a lot of people’s lives. So it’s just being an extension of that, you know, my sister and I are we view ourselves as an extension of our grandfather and if we can continue to share the good word, of what he did and why he’s so special, then we have done our job.”
In light of that legacy, the family set out to expand the McQueen Racing portfolio with the McQueen Racing F-150 Off-Road Edition, which debuted at the SEMA Show this week. For this endeavor, they again worked with Steeda but also teamed up with the specialists at Real Truck to develop a comprehensive upgrade package for Ford’s iconic pickup.
“Relating back to my grandfather and Ford. This is a generational thing. We really want to unify the legends that are Ford and my grandfather, and we see this as a major key to that. One thing that he always said he was never just about looks. He was about things that performed, handled, and had some sort of value,” McQueen says. “That’s why we get along so well, as everything is performance-based. We can drive this truck home, and then we could take it to the desert. We could go to Baja 1000 with it. That’s exactly what my grandfather did. If you look at all these cars, he would drive his cars to the racetracks and drive them home. So we just tried to continue that.”
Chase McQueen (pictured), grandson of Steve McQueen, his father Chad and sister Madison are keeping the McQueen legacy alive with McQueen Racing.
After carefully plotting the build with the sort of performance and functionality you would expect from a vehicle bearing that famous name, Steeda Performance Vehicles assembled all the upgrades in Steeda’s Valdosta, Georgia, facility. They set out to build the first example of the truck immediately in advance of its big debut in Las Vegas.
Based on an F-150 with the Coyote engine option, they added a Whipple supercharger to boost the truck’s output to an impressive 775 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque. It exhales through the aforementioned Borla exhaust. However, big power is only part of the equation, as it benefits from a Real Truck Superlift 6-inch lift, and Bilstein shocks. The lifted suspension not only delivers more ground clearance but makes way for 20×10-inch Raceline 950B Gauge wheels wrapped in 37×12.5×20-inch Nitto Trail Grappler rubber.
“There’s nothing that stops this truck from being able to follow somebody and support them during a Baja 1000 or one of these events. Suppose you want to go around and fly around in the desert and have a little fun. This can do that for you,” McQueen says.
In addition to the performance upgrades, the truck’s functional upgrades and styling package come together in a cohesive manner that is highlighted by that #22 livery, which calls back to the vehicle number Steve McQueen raced in off-road events back in the day.
Going off-road at night means bringing your light, and the McQueen Racing F-150 carries a full complement of lighting upgrades, including Alpharex LED Projector Head Lamps, a Real Truck Front Bumper with an integrated LED light bar, and Real Truck RVL fender flares with LED lights.
“Plus, it looks kick-ass,” Adams adds. “I mean, it’s got a certain look to it that you just don’t see. Everything’s integrated and we partnered with the best of the best in the industry. So they put their best foot forward with the components. And the result is the McQueen Racing F-150 Off-Road Edition.”
McQueen Racing F-150 Off-Road Edition Specs
Performance
- Borla Performance Exhaust System
- Whipple Supercharge Gen 5 Stage 1Rr 775-horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque
Suspension
- Real Truck Superlift 6-Inch Lift
- Bilstein Shocks
Wheels & Tires
- Raceline 950B Gauge Wheels, 20×10; 6×135
- 37×12.5×20-inch Nitto Trail Grappler Tires
Brakes
- Race Technologies Brembo Six-Piston Front Brakes
Interior
- Katzkins Custom Leather Seats With McQueen Racing Logo
- Real Truck Underseat organizer
- Real Truck Husky X-act Countor all-weather floor mats
Exterior
- Steeda McQueen Racing Graphic Package: Engine Compartment Serialization Badge, McQueen Racing Fender Badges, McQueen Racing Rear Fender Logo
- Real Truck Low-Profile Ventvisor with Aerocab Pro Marker lights
- Real Truck Front Bumper With Integrated LED Light Bar (motorized)
- Real Truck Rear Bumper
- Real Truck Bedside Steps
- Real Truck AMP Power Step XL Running Boards
- Real Truck RVL Fender Flares With LED Lights
- Real Truck Trail Armor Rocker Panel
- Cervini’s Auto Design Ram Air Hood
- Alpharex LED Projector Head Lamps
- Real Truck Bedcover – BAK MX4
- Real Truck Bedliner
- Real Truck Wheel well liners
- Real Truck Aerocab Pro
- Real Truck Swing-case storage (left and right)
