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The Ford Bronco DR sits at the intersection of Ford Performance off-road racing credibility, the modern Ford Bronco and legendary heritage. The desert racer is already production ready and will available for sale in late 2022.
"Bronco DR exists to give hardcore off-road enthusiasts a Built Wild, turnkey 4x4 to compete in desert racing events, including the unforgiving Baja 1000," said Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance Motorsports global director.
Ford based the Bronco DR on the four-door Bronco model, though there's not four doors to be found on it. Instead, there's two long panels with access to the two-seat cab provided through the window.
Its resin transfer molded fiberglass body panels are designed to save weight. In typical race vehicle style, a number of amenities found in the typical Bronco on a dealership lot have been removed from the Bronco DR.
The SCORE Baja 1000 desert race SUV is powered by a Ford Coyote 5.0-liter V8 that generates more than 400 horsepower. The engine is paired with a 10R80 transmission and an electric shift on the fly transfer case from the Ford F-150.
Large air intakes on the sides and roof work to keep the engine cool. The model shares a single-piece grille, round headlamps, taillamps, and trail sights with the traditional Bronco.
There are independent electronically locking front and rear differentials.
The SUV's suspension system started with the company's High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (H.O.S.S.). Multimatic added their Positional Selective DSSV Dampers and Multimatic-designed billet aluminum lower control arms.
Compared to the Bronco Badlands, the Bronco DR has about 55 percent more front suspension travel at 15.8 inches and 58 percent more at the rear, 17.4 inches.
It has an approach angle of 47 degrees, a departure angle of 37 degrees and a breakover angle of 33 degrees.
Bronco DR has a race weight of about 6,200 pounds, which is balanced on a 73.7-inch front track and a 73.3-inch rear track.
The models 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 all-season tires are wrapped around deadlock wheels. The tires features a compound designed for improved grip on rock and slick surfaces.
It also has a Multimatic safety cage, made up of integrated OE ACCRA tubes. The two-passenger cockpit has race seats and a Motec C 187 display and CAN data acquisition system, which available cloud-based data access.
There's a 65-gllon fuel tank sitting below the cargo area.
A number of racing hardware updates complete the model.
"Bronco DR is our ultimate turnkey off-road racing SUV, engineered to put enthusiasts behind the wheel of a desert racing force," said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford chief product platform and operations officer. "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 first 50 units of 2023 Bronco DR will be available for sale in late 2022 with a starting price in the mid-$200,000 range. Taxes, title and fees are extra.
About the writer
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull leads the Autos team at Newsweek. She has written extensively about the auto industry for U.S. News & ... Read more