ford has revealed it will finally be putting a v-8–powered bronco into production. before you get too excited, no, it's not a street-legal jeep wrangler 392 fighter. instead, the v-8 bronco will be a race truck designed to take on desert races, including 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 horsepower 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 turnkey solution for dedicated desert racers.
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." we're excited to see how they perform.
from: road & track