The adage “race on Sunday, sell on Monday” still lives on and Ford is proud to announce the Ranger Raptor it has in several showrooms has successfully competed in the grueling 2022 Baja 1000. category, so the change is not significant. It won its class because it was the only entrant, like the Toyota Land Cruiser in the Full Stock category.
Feeding on low-carbon biofuel, the race-ready Ranger Raptor has a safety snorkel and cage to comply with Baja 1000 rules. It also received additional LED lights and a fire extinguisher, along with a Perspex rear window, a bed-mounted 160-liter fuel tank, and racing suits. The Ford midsize off-roader uses standard front and rear suspension with Fox shock absorbers and sits on 17-inch forged alloy wheels with 315/70 R17 BF Goodrich tires.
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The Ranger Raptor completed the course in 26 hours and 21 minutes, making it seven hours less than the larger Land Cruiser. The Blue Oval spoke of a “near perfect ride” requiring “just basic maintenance and system checks along with stopping refueling.” After the endurance race, the car is driven on the public road back to its base in Riverside, California.
Compared to the previous generation, Ford’s new all-terrain truck has a completely different powertrain. It has switched from a four-cylinder diesel to a larger V6 petrol mill that produces nearly 400 horsepower and 583 Nm (430 lb-ft) of torque. Due to tougher emission regulations, Europe gets a watered down configuration with 288 hp and 491 Nm (362 lb-ft) of torque.
Ford intends to sell the revamped Ranger in more than 180 countries around the world and has promised to bring a high-performance version of the Raptor to the United States and Canada next year. A company spokesperson told us it will be available in early 2023.
