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Next year will see the facelifted Ford Ranger, which for the first time, at least in the US, will include a high-performance Ranger Raptor variant.
The new Ranger and Ranger Raptor have already entered the world markets. One such market is Australia, where Ford’s local division has built a super-tough Ranger Raptor to compete in the 2022 Baja 1000, which kicks off on November 18.
Ford partnered with race teams Kelly Racing and Lovell Racing to develop the truck, with the latter, led by talented off-road racer Brad Lovell, also set to field a truck at Bach.
Modifications include a 3.0-inch lift kit, flared wheel arches, and Method Racing wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich off-road tires. The engine is a Ranger Raptor 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 that produces a maximum power of 392 hp as standard. Ford has not said if any engine upgrades have been made for the Baja 1000, although to highlight the automaker’s sustainability efforts, the truck will run on low-carbon fuel sourced from Shell. The fuel contains a 30% mixture of renewable sources, in this case it is a mixture of ethanol and bio-oil.
Ford introduced specially prepared versions of the F-150 Raptor and Bronco Raptor for the Baja 1000 before the respective vehicles went on sale, so it’s no surprise that the automaker is doing the same with the Ranger Raptor. The event became a kind of final test for racers in the desert of the automaker.
“The Baja 1000 is a demanding event and a well-known proving ground for off-roaders,” Brian Novak, head of off-road motorsports for Ford Performance, said in a statement. “By participating in this event, we are building on hundreds of thousands of kilometers of development testing and pushing the Ranger Raptor to new extremes.”
The updated Ranger is expected in the 2024 model year in the US. It’s based on the same updated T6 platform that debuted in the Bronco, and North American versions will be built at the same Michigan plant that builds the current-generation Bronco and Ranger. .
The Raptor version will feature increased power as well as off-road suspension, off-road wheels and tires, and an all-wheel drive system with a 2-speed transfer case and locking differentials front and rear.
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