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Ford Will Now Sell You a V-8-Powered Bronco Race Truck Designed to Take on Baja

Photo credit: Ford
Photo credit: Ford

Ford revealed today it will finally be putting a V-8-powered Bronco into production. Before you get too excited, no, it's not a street-legal Wrangler 492 fighter. Instead, the V-8 Bronco will be a race truck designed to take on desert races like the Baja 1000.

Dubbed the Bronco DR, this truck is based on the four-door production Bronco but uses a 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 sourced from the current Mustang GT. Ford is aiming for over 400 hp, but hasn't released any exact specifications just yet. Motorsport specialists Multimatic are heavily involved, supplying its well-known DSSV dampers as well as the roll cage and lower control arms. There are dozens of other off-road-focused mods, including a transfer case from the F-150, unique front half-shafts, and a rear-mounted radiator. Weight comes in at a hefty 6200 pounds, while 37-inch BFGoodrich KM3 tires mean an approach angle of 47 degrees, a departure angle of 37 degrees, and a breakover angle of 33 degrees.

Ford says much of the Bronco DR's styling was influenced by the company's first modern Bronco-derived race truck, the Bronco R. There's a united fascia, a light bar above the cabin, and widebody fenders to shroud the massive rubber in the wheel wells. But where the Bronco R was fielded with the intention of proving the robustness of the production Bronco's powertrain, the Bronco DR has a different mission: to be a reliable turn-key solution for dedicated desert racers.

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The automaker says the first 50 examples of the Bronco DR will become available for sale in late 2022, priced in the "mid-$200,000 range," per a press release. We're excited to see how they perform.

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