The market for older Ford Explorer models has been heating up as of late, with plenty of well-kept, low-mile examples hitting the auction block and selling for increasingly large sums of money. However, those seeking a performance-focused version of this particular SUV don’t have much to choose from, as the ultra-rare Saleen XP8 was built in scant quantities and rarely pops up for sale in any condition. Thus, this ultra-cool, heavily modified 1998 Ford Explorer Sport up for grabs at Bring a Trailer certainly seems like a solid alternative that may wind up selling for a reasonable price.
It isn’t exactly every day that we come across a Ford Explorer that’s been modified with an eye toward improving straight-line performance, and yet, this particular example is precisely that. Still, there aren’t a ton of clues present on the exterior that indicate what’s going on under the hood, save for a set of Magnum 500-style wheels, white letter tires, and a small spoiler present on the hatch.
Peek inside the cabin, however, and it’s immediately clear that something fishy is going on with this Ford Explorer. There’s a set of auxiliary gauges present in both the instrument cluster and the A-pillar, coupled with an old school Hurst shifter ball that just screams old school muscle – much like the aforementioned wheels – and there’s a very good reason for that.
Pop the hood, and one will see why – this Explorer is packing a Ford Racing Performance Parts 363 cubic-inch V8, which is fitted with an array of go-fast goodies including Diamond pistons, an Ed Curtis camshaft, Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads, a Holley Systemax II intake manifold, a 75mm throttle body, and even a nitrous system. It’s unclear how much power this particular engine sends to the wheels via its five-speed manual transmission, but we imagine that it’s more than enough to make this one heck of a fun SUV to drive.
We’ll have more cool auction finds to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Explorer news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.
Two recalls were issued in response to the problem.
It's been kind of a "meh" vehicle for them.
Ford has already partnered with some big companies in its recent past.
Featuring a host of off-road-ready upgrades, too.
Potentially announcing new models.
