Ford has revealed the Bronco R race prototype in Mojave desert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rod Hall’s historic Baja 1000 win. The Bronco R hints at the 6th generation Bronco production model expected to debut in 2020. The racer will be taken to Baja Peninsula later this month for a 1,000-mile (1,609 km) off-road course to test the production Bronco’s powertrain and architecture.
Meaning, the race prototype is built on a modified Ford T6 architecture that’ll be the base for the production model as well. It is beefed up with an independent front suspension with 14-inches of travel and a production-based five-link rear setup with up to 18-inches of travel, plus custom Fox shocks, 17-inch beadlock-capable aluminum wheels and 37-inch BFGoodrich tires.
The racing prototype does give a basic idea of the design of the production model. One neat touch is a BRONCO brand lettering at the front with the letter R in red.
Like the original Bronco, we kept Bronco R’s design authentic and simple, with a roll cage on a production-style frame, and a five-piece lightweight body on top. For the endurance needs of Baja’s 1,000 grueling miles, we built in a limited number of race-focused parts. But even the twin turbos of the EcoBoost engine are representative of what the production Bronco will offer. – Brian Novak, off-road racing supervisor, Ford Performance
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