Ford Bronco Desert Racer Costs Over $200k

The Ford Bronco has returned in a midsize body as a serious off-roader that competes with the Jeep Wrangler. When Ford announced the Bronco, some consumers were sad to hear that the SUV wouldn’t be available with a V8 engine. Well, we have some good news. Ford recently announced that it would be offering the Bronco with a V8 engine in the Bronco Desert Racer (DR), but the high-performance truck will have a starting price tag that’s in the mid-$200,000 range.

For its supercar price tag, the Bronco DR is a truck that’s meant to tackle the SCORE Baja 1000. With that knowledge, it’s easy to see that Ford built the Bronco DR to be a high-performance truck for competitive off-roading. The truck utilizes a four-door Bronco chassis and has the 5.0-liter V8 engine from the Mustang under the hood. Ford hasn’t provided any power figures for the engine, but it’s targeting around 400 horsepower. A full roll-cage that’s attached to the frame, two seats, a Motc dash display, a detachable steering wheel, and pre-wired switches help the Bronco DR look like a true racing truck.

The engine comes paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and a transfer case that’s been borrowed from the F-150 pickup truck. The Bronco DR truck also comes with front and rear electronically locking differentials. Ford has fitted the truck with some serious suspension components that include 3.0 Multimatic DSSV dampers on all four corners and custom lower control arms for 15.8 inches of suspension travel at the front and 17.4 inches of rear suspension travel at the back. Those wide fenders house 37-inch BF Goodrich mud terrain tires that are surrounded by headlock wheels.

In addition to the prototype design, the Bronco DR sports a red, white, and blue livery that pays tribute to the first Baja 1000 that a Bronco won in 1969. The radiator now sits at the back of the truck and sucks in air from the huge air intakes that are located along the roof. The body panels are made from resin transfer molded fiberglass, there’s a tubular metal front bumper, and the truck comes with a 65-gallon fuel tank located below the cargo area.

As one could expect from a truck like this, the Bronco DR will be an exclusive vehicle. Ford only plans on building 50 units of the truck and they're not street legal. This really is a turnkey racing truck that’s built for serious competition. Seeing an automaker, especially one as large as Ford, offer a ready-made truck that can compete at a professional level for off-roading is surprising. The other automaker that offers something as capable as the Bronco DR is Bowler that makes a high-performance version of the Defender, but that model is meant to race in its own series.

If you’re interested in getting a Bronco DR, we recommend acting very quickly. These aren’t likely to stay around for long. The truck will become available in late 2022 and will make its racing debut in the 2022 SCORE Baja 1000.

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Pictured: 2022 Ford Bronco Sport