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Ford's Bronco DR is a factory-built V8 desert racer you can buy

Sure, It’s for off-road use only, but on the plus side it'll only cost a quarter-million bucks

It’s an open secret your author vastly prefers the auditory delights of an uncorked Ford V8 compared to any of their EcoBoost offerings, most of which sound like a frantic Hoover when pressed.

It’d seem the Blue Oval is finally starting to come around to this line of thinking – at least to a limited degree – by first promising a V8-powered Raptor R and now introducing an octopot Bronco.

Just one point of clarity: that latter one’ll cost roughly US$250,000 and is intended for off-road use only.

Officially called the Bronco DR, it’s a factory-built monster meant to take on grueling events like the fabled Baja 1000. Powered by a Coyote 5.0L V8 engine with an output target in excess of 400 horsepower, Ford says the DR – Desert Racer – is meant to be the most powerful production Bronco ever made.

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“Bronco DR exists to give hardcore off-road enthusiasts a Built Wild, turnkey 4×4 to compete in desert racing events, including the unforgiving Baja 1000,” said Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance Motorsports global director. “It started with the Bronco four-door — the platform and chassis are production true, and then we modified and optimized every aspect and built the vehicle hardcore off-road enthusiasts want.”

With a race weight of about 6,200 pounds, the DR features an approach angle of 47 degrees; departure angle of 37 degrees; and breakover angle of 33 degrees. It has a 73.7-inch front; and 73.3-inch rear track, riding on 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM3 tires.

Compared to a stock four-door Badlands, this thing should have over 55 per cent more suspension travel, checking in at about 16 inches of flex (a touch more than that in the rear). That’s more than some top-flight racing-bred side-by-side machines. Multimatic DSSV positional selective shocks are onboard as well.

Its body is crafted from resin transfer-molded fibreglass, but Ford is insistent the factory four-door model’s frame and body structure are intact. A few recognizable flourishes are retained in the window-free cabin, but there’s no doubting this truck’s mission as a racing machine.

Interested? It’d behoove you to move quickly. An initial run of just 50 vehicles is planned for availability in late 2022, paying homage to Bronco brand’s racing heritage and its overall 1969 Baja 1000 victory.

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