Shelby, Harley-Davidson pickups gain factory approval for Australia

The US pickup market in Australia has grown significantly in recent years, with the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra joining the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 officially on sale locally.

Now, aftermarket performance tuners are getting in on the game, with pickups from Shelby American and Harley-Davidson becoming available to Australian buyers – with official factory backing.

Founded by Carroll Shelby – portrayed by Matt Damon in the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari – Shelby American is arguably best known for its 7.0-litre V8-powered Cobras and high-horsepower Mustangs, but the company also offers several high-performance pickups based on Ford’s F-Truck range.

Similarly, Fox Factory – the tuning arm of Fox shock absorbers – is responsible for official Harley-Davidson-branded pickups based on either the Ford F250 Super Duty or the GMC 1500, as well as a range of Black Widow utes.

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Autogroup International has announced it is now the factory-approved right-hand drive conversion company for Shelby American and Fox Factory, making these high-performance vehicles available to Australian buyers.

But while Ram, Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota all convert their pickups to right-hand drive after they arrive in Australia, Autogroup performs its “mirror-image” RHD conversions in Sri Lanka before the vehicles are shipped here.

“Owners enjoy a process comparable to the world’s leading OEM factory programs, backed by comprehensive warranty, parts and aftersales support,” the company said in a statement.

Speaking to CarExpert, a spokesperson for Autogroup International said each vehicle is engineered and documented for local compliance, with registration support in all states – backed by a five-year warranty.

Based on a Ford F-150 Lariat, the Cobra F-150 adds a supercharger to the 5.0-litre V8 – together with other modifications – increasing outputs to 585kW of power and 929Nm oftorque.

The Shelby also features a Borla cat-back exhaust, Shelby interior upgrades, 35-inch all-terrain tyres on 22-inch alloy wheels, and Fox race series shock absorbers.

Similarly, the Harley-Davidson F-250 produces 485kW from its supercharged V8, and gets branding from the iconic motorcycle brand throughout the interior and exterior.

Fox Factory’s Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is also focused on performance, offering more than 520kW thanks to the addition of a supercharger, while its Black Widow range provides luxury and styling upgrades to several models from Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Jeep, and Ram.

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