Ford Ranger Could Gain V8 Power For Special Racing Model

While The Blue Oval only offers V8 power in select models these days, it did shock the world when it launched the Ford Bronco DR racer back in November 2021, sporting the 5.0L V8 Coyote engine and a modified version of the factory SUV’s frame. On the flip side, the all-new Ford Ranger Raptor has thus far proven to be a competent racer itself, racking up class wins at the Baja 1000, Simola Hillclimb, and Tatts Finke Desert Race thus far – with the 2024 Dakar Rally in its sights as well – all with the factory twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 EcoBoost engine underhood. However, it seems as if a future racing version of the Ford Ranger Raptor may also be available with V8 power, too, according to a new report from CarExpert.

“If you look at what we put out as our quadrants – racing Mustangs everywhere as you see, off-road being important to us including Baja, Dakar, Finke, and things like Bronco DR as a turnkey racer, and electrified demonstrators, and Formula 1 – off-road is important to us,” said Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook. “Just like you see a full line-up of Mustangs – GT3, GT4, Dark Horse R, Dark Horse S – there’s a portfolio available in the off-road space as well.”

However, what’s particularly interesting about this development is that Rushbrook pointed to the Bronco DR as a potential clue as to what we can expect to see from this future Ford Ranger Raptor racer. “It’s a common platform, a lot of what we develop for Bronco DR would work for a similar Ranger,” he said.

It’s sensible to think that given these comments, Ford might choose to simply utilize what it already has in the Bronco DR for a future Ranger Raptor racer, particularly since the two share a platform. If that does indeed turn out to be the case, we’ll have yet another V8-powered Ford model to choose from – albeit a low production, non-street-legal pickup that’s likely to be rather expensive, as the Bronco DR costs a whopping $295,000 to start.

We’ll have more on the next-gen Ford Ranger Raptor soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Ranger news, Ford Ranger Raptor news, and comprehensive Ford news coverage.