The reveal of Ford’s resurrected Bronco sent many of the automotive world’s admirers into a craze when it was announced, and as we draw closer to the flagship’s production release date, the company continues to test our patience with great-looking performance builds. The most recent of these projects is the Bronco R Race Prototype — a Baja-imbued platform that’s been outfitted to take on the peninsula’s toughest terrain.
It goes without saying that this top-of-the-line Baja variant isn’t going to be available to the public, but as a nod to the vehicle’s high-performance prowess, the company has hinted that the platform’s cutting-edge, twin-turbo EcoBoost engine will be made available for interested consumers. The vehicle you see here is a closely-related sibling of the new Bronco and comes built atop a modified Ford T6 architecture to bring it in-line with Ford’s Ranger platform. It boasts an independent front suspension with 14 inches of travel, as well as a production-based chassis design that gifts it 18 inches of travel in the rear. Fox shocks, 37-inch BF Goodrich tires, and a handful of proprietary, race-oriented parts have been added to the vehicle for its debut on the Baja course; even Rod Hall’s legendary 1969 Baja 1000 livery is present. But if you aren’t holding out hope for a desert-ready variant at release, rest assured — Ford says that the production Bronco won’t stray too far from the path of this off-road-oriented predecessor.
