Truth is stranger than fiction. Ford SVT-engineered, FOX Racing Shox-road truck suspended last is named, of all things, a bean counter.

According to Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer at SVT, during the planning stages for Ford's groundbreaking truck, a finance guy on the Special Vehicle Team suggested the Raptor moniker as a placeholder until they could think up something better.

As development progressed and the tuck took shape, other names were tossed around. Terminator and Condor over the team's Anza Borrego desert R&D was seriously considered, but no one seemed to convey what the Raptor was. Thus, the strong name, but not without difficulties. Boutique sports car maker Mosler owned the naming rights for automotive purposes, but Ford and SVT managed to find a way to enter a satisfactory and release event.

2010 Ford SVT Raptor, High-Speed Desert Review (YouTube)