One-off creations are common in the auto industry, especially for promotional purposes. Branding is king, and automakers often collaborate with other companies for joint events. Ford Brazil recently partnered with Australian lifestyle brand Deus Ex Machina to create a unique Ranger with a rusty patina.
It’s called “Rusty Blue,” and the pickup features a pale blue exterior color with raised streaks of rust, giving the truck a rough and worn look. The old look did catch one eye, but Deus Ex Machina does another upgrade to the Ranger.
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The lifestyle brand, known for its custom apparel and motorcycles, also added roof racks, fog lights, a sports bar and some Deus Ex Machina branding under Ford’s blue oval on the tailgate and elsewhere on the truck. Inside, it appears the truck received a special door card and other upgrades from the Austrian firm.
This is the first collaboration between Ford and Deus Ex Machina to debut in Swank Rally Brazil, an off-road motorcycle competition for vintage and modern bikes. This partnership is part of a strategy that creates a unique public experience for the community. At the rally, Ford offered test drives of the Ranger, which allowed people to get behind the wheel of the FX4 and Limited trucks. Now that the rally has ended, Deus Ex Machina will feature Rusy Blue at its São Paulo store in Brazil.
“The partnership with Deus Ex Machina is part of Ford’s positioning as a premium off-road brand, connecting with a new audience of enthusiasts who are active and looking for more challenges, achievements and exclusive experiences,” said Fabrizzia Borsari, Ford marketing manager. communication.
Ford gave the Ranger a significant redesign for the 2022 model year. Ford sold the T6 generation of trucks for more than 11 years, bringing the pickup back to America and reviving the Ranger nameplate in the 2010s. The new pickup is bigger than the one it replaces, debuting with a radically redesigned cabin. Ford will also be bringing the Ranger Raptor to the US sometime in 2023, with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that produces 288 horsepower (215 kilowatts) and 362 pound-feet (491 Newton-meters) of torque.
