By Andrew Wendler

“Why put nitrous on a V-12 Vanquish? Why not? I mean come on, you have to.” That statement alone should give you a pretty good idea of the delightfully skewed perspective with which Tim Damon views the automotive world. If you still need convincing, consider that, in addition to a fogged Aston Martin, the Detroit native and automotive photographer’s personal collection also includes a 1966 Lincoln Continental, a Porsche Cayenne, a 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible, and,just for kicks, a 730-hp Lingenfelter prepped Cadillac CTS-V. “I just love cars,” he says unapologetically.

But the latest vehicle to catch Damon’s attention is Ford’s F-150 SVT Raptor pickup, and it’s a company car. As a driving force behind Camera Car Systems, which specializes in providing high-tech, high-speed still and live-action photo and video services to Hollywood and the advertising world, he’s perpetually looking for vehicles to serve as stout yet agile foundations for his cameras and rigging. Although the company’s current roster of fully prepped camera vehicles includes Porsches, Mercedes, a Hummer, and even a Ferrari F360 Modena, the nearly box-stock Ford Raptor is quickly becoming the boss’s favorite. In fact, the company just used it on the recently launched Project Fusion campaign, the first clip from which you can watch here:

As for the Raptor, Damon says, “We needed a robust platform for the next generation of off-road stuff, and, compared to where we are with the Cayenne Turbo, the Raptor is a huge leap forward for us.” With the exception of some minor reinforcements to the rear of the frame, the Raptor’s chassis is essentially unchanged. The Fox shocks and 4.10 axles remain, and, only some minor software tuning from Banks engineering keeps the engine from retaining a stock designation. With its flat-black paint—specially concocted to keep glare and reflection to a minimum—and huge roof-mounted crane, the Raptor’s look is nice blend of paramilitary chic and post-apocalyptic trendiness. At first glance, it’s not entirely clear which side of the camera its supposed to be on, and you can see some beauty footage of the Raptor in action at the bottom of this story.

According to Damon, one of the keys to the Raptor’s success is its comparatively primitive body-on-frame construction. The other cars are all very capable, but their unibodies tend to transmit the energy from harsh impacts and directional changes directly to the crane, and ultimately to the camera. By attaching the Raptor’s camera crane to a custom-built exoskeleton mounted only to the cab, the simplistic isolation solution between the Ford’s cab and chassis somewhat paradoxically delivers high levels of stability. This holds true even at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

The crane arm sprouting from the Raptor’s roof and its attendant stabilized head—the part on the end that holds the camera—is supplied by Filmotechnic, a company run by Damon’s Ukraine-based partner Anatoliy Kokush. A two-time Academy Award winner for technical achievement, Kokush designs …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver