Take a ride with us in Ford’s latest high-speed offroader.
Ford took us a bit by surprise today with its BroncoR, a prototype Baja racing car that serves as a teaser to the street-legal machine people will soon be able buy. We were not surprised that Motor1.com’s Gabriel Vega actually attended Ford’s Bronco-R event in the desert close to Las Vegas. He was accompanied by a camera and got to see the boxy off-roader up close. This was before jumped into the cockpit.
Ford says this machine is a hint at the design of the Bronco. Although it is a tempting preview, we know that the chassis has been extensively modified for racing. The chassis uses Fox suspension components, which provide 14 inches of travel front and 18 inches back. The massive 37-inch tires extend well beyond the Bronco R’s already wide fenders. This is great for off-roading at high speeds, but don’t expect the same look to be found on production models.
Ford did not provide any information about the power of the engine, other than to say it has two turbochargers. This could refer to a variety of Ford EcoBoost V6 models, though our man on ground believed the engine looked similar to the 2.7-liter model. The Bronco R is a racing machine that was purposely built, as you can see in the video and photos. However, we are a little surprised that the ride-along did not include any airborne stunts.
Although there is no word yet on the arrival date of the Bronco production vehicle, Ford plans to transport the Bronco R to Baja in November for the legendary 1,000-mile offroad race.