Ford has given the Bronco a V8

02nd November 2021

Ethan Jupp

This was always on the cards for the Bronco, wasn’t it? A big snorting V8, blistered bodywork, a stripped cabin, trick suspension and a date with the world’s deserts. This is the Bronco DR, meaning ‘Desert Racer’.

This factory-built hot-rod Bronco has been built to take on the Baja 1,000. Based on the full-sized four-door Bronco, the biggest major change is that heart transplant. Gone are the four- and six-cylinder turbocharged motors, in comes the engine we’ve all been waiting for: the Coyote 5.0-litre V8. In this installation, it’s good for over 400PS (294kW).

With speed, you need control, both vertically and horizontally when it comes to leaping across deserts. This is where the Multimatic Positional Selective DSSV Dampers, billet control arms and a host of other suspension package upgrades come in. With 400mm of suspension travel at the front and over 440mm at the rear, these represent respective 55 and 58 per cent increases compared to the standard vehicle, itself not exactly a ‘soft-roader'.

Hanging from that suspension are beadlock wheels wrapped in 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KMW tyres, themselves winning veterans of the Baja. The bulbous bodywork is formed of resin transfer moulded fibreglass body panels, while the standard Bronco’s four-door frame and body structure are retained. Keeping cabin occupants safe is the Multimatic safety cage and keeping the Bronco going is a monster 65-gallon fuel tank.

“Bronco DR is our ultimate turnkey off-road racing SUV, engineered to put enthusiasts behind the wheel of a desert racing force,” said Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance Motorsports global director.

“This collaboration between Ford Performance and Multimatic continues the Bronco desert racing legacy that dates back to Rod Hall and Larry Minor’s never-repeated overall Baja 1000 win in a stock Bronco in 1969.”

The Bronco DR prototype will make its race debut next year, with Baja its main target. The best bit though, is that it won’t remain a prototype. This dunebuster is going to be produced, with the first 50 units hitting the market later on next year. For around £182,000, would you buy a Bronco to conquer the world?