Ford was mighty active at the recently concluded SEMA Show. It introduced tens of concepts for its trucks and the Mustang range. The Bronco wasn’t left behind either. We would’ve liked it if the Bronco Raptor would have made its debut here, but instead, the company gave us the Bronco DR – a Desert Racer built to compete in the 2022 Baja 1000. Interestingly, the company will put it up for sale, but it isn’t street legal. Care you shell out over $200,000 for the beast?

How Is The Ford Bronco DR On The Outside And Inside?

The Bronco DR is built on the 2022 Bronco four-door’s frame.} It features a unique body and a whole lot of mods on the chassis to make it a high-speed desert runner. Ford has taken inspiration from the sixth-gen Bronco here. It features a resin transfer molded fiberglass race body.

The off-roader is finished in the distinctive Bronco race livery of red, white, black, and blue. It features a tubular metal front bumper, a single-piece grille, and production-spec headlights, taillights, and trail sights. Instead of doors, you have side panels which are reminiscent of the Bronco R. }

Ford has also equipped 17-inch beadlock wheels wrapped in 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 tires. There are disc brakes on all four corners that are carried over from the standard Bronco. However, it features upgraded pads. To take care of the cooling, the automaker has installed large air intakes on the upper sides and another on the roof to aid the rear-mounted radiator. Apart from this, the Bronco DR comes with a 65-gallon fuel tank is placed below the cargo area.

The Bronco Desert Racer will come with a full-safety roll cage with integrated ACCRA tubes. Keeping its purpose in mind, the automaker has removed all the interior amenities. The cockpit features two Sparco race seats, a Motec C187 display and CAN data acquisition system. The latter can be had with optional cloud-based data access.

Ford Has Worked Heavily On Its Suspension System

To make sure the high-speed desert racer is at its best, Ford teamed up with Multimatic to make the suspension system even more robust. The Blue Oval has equipped the Bronco’s High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (H.O.S.S.) system, but on steroids. It features Positional Selective DSSV Dampers with 80-millimeter bodies with finned fluid cooling channels and Multimatic-designed billet aluminum lower control arms.

Courtesy of this, the front suspension travel range has increased by 55.1-percent and the rear suspension travel range by 58.6-percent when compared to the four-door Bronco Badlands. In pure numbers, the front and rear suspension travel range is now rated at 15.8 inches and 17.4 inches, respectively.

The massive travel range coupled with 37-inch tires has resulted in the off-roader sitting 11.8 inches off the ground. This, in turn, has led to impressive angles.

As for the basic dimensions, the Bronco DR is 194.1 inches long, 88.2 inches wide, and 80.4 inches tall. The front and rear tracks are 73.7- and 73.3 inches wide, respectively. It has a 116.2-inch long wheelbase. The off-roader isn’t light by any means as it weighs a massive 6,200 pounds!

The Bronco DR Is Powered By The Familiar Coyote V-8 Mill

Coming to its power plant, the Bronco DR is powered by the third-gen 5.0-liter, naturally aspirated V-8 Coyote mill. The company made it quite clear that a V-8 won’t be offered from the factory on the standard Bronco. Heck, Ford didn’t even bother to check if the Coyote V-8 will fit under the Bronco’s hood! But, here we get to see it. It doesn’t prove that a V-8 can be plonked under the Bronco’s hood because the DR features a different body.

The horsepower and torque figures aren’t revealed yet, but Ford is targeting over 400 horses here. It will be mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox and a four-wheel-drive system. A transfer case with an on-the-fly electric shift is offered, too. The off-roader also comes with independent electronically locking front and rear differential with 4.70:1 final drive ratios.

The company will build 50 examples of it in its initial run and they will be available in late 2022.

Final Thoughts

Ford says the Bronco DR prototype will make its race debut in 2022 and the company is targeting entry in the 2022 SCORE Baja 1000. The Bronco isn’t new to the scene and has ample experience in Baja racing. The first-gen Bronco scored Baja 1000 class wins in 1967, ’69, ’71, and ’72. The legacy continues to date with a lot of wins across classes even in the 21st century. The company even entered the Bronco R at the 2019 Baja 1000 race.

Ford’s plan to offer the Desert Race to the public is a good idea, but we’ll have to see if the company will be able to move all 50 examples from the first run. It comes with a steep price of over $200,000. The fact that it isn’t street-legal doesn’t help the cause either. But, for a hardcore off-road enthusiast, this beast will give him a cargasm.

FAQ

Q: How Much Does The Bronco DR Cost?

Ford says the Bronco DR will be priced in the mid-$200,000 range.