New Ford Bronco revealed – sort of

A desert racing version of the new Ford Bronco SUV is providing the world with a sneak peak at the Blue Oval’s forthcoming Jeep Wrangler rival.

While the production version of the Bronco won’t break cover until the second quarter of 2020 and sadly won’t be coming to Australia, the Bronco R is starring in a Ford PR campaign ahead of the famed Baja 1000 desert race in Mexico later this month.

While it acts as a very loose styling preview of what’s to come in 2020, the Bronco R also celebrates the original Bronco 4x4’s win the same race 50 years ago.

Shelby Hall, the granddaughter of 1969 winner Rod Hall, will even be one of the Bronco R’s drivers in this year’s race.

Ford is also claiming the race will act as a test for the mechanicals of the Bronco. It uses the same T6 architecture as the Ranger and Everest and, like them, has been subject to local development at Ford’s Australian engineering centres

The Bronco R, which has been developed by Ford Performance in collaboration with race-truck builder Geiser Bros Design and Development and Baja 1000 Trophy Truck champion Cameron Steele, uses a strengthened form of the T6 body-on-frame chassis.

Beefed up Bronco R features include an independent front suspension with 14 inches of travel and a production-based five-link rear chassis with up to 18 inches of travel. Fox shocks, 17-inch beadlock-capable aluminium wheels and 37-inch BFGoodrich tyres are also part of the package.

“Like the original Bronco, we kept Bronco R’s design authentic and simple, with a roll cage on a production-style frame, and a five-piece lightweight body on top,” said Brian Novak, Ford Performance off-road racing supervisor.

“For the endurance needs of Baja’s 1000 gruelling miles, we built in a limited number of race-focused parts. But even the twin turbos of the EcoBoost engine are representative of what the production Bronco will offer.”

The design of the racer was handled by the same Dearborn-based team that shaped the production vehicle. This time they only had months rather than years to complete the job.

Cutting-edge tools such as high-tech virtual reality, polygon modeling and 3D printing were employed to hit the deadline. More traditional prototyping and role-playing aided problem-solving and swift decision-making.

“This wasn’t our usual development process, but it was the right process for this project,” said chief designer Paul Wraith.

“We found, created or adapted the right tool for the task at hand – a cool and exciting blend of old and new creative techniques. We stretched ourselves, but it was worth it – and great fun.”

The prototype’s lightweight composite body includes a clamshell bionnet and roof, as well as clean body panels that harken back to the first-generation Bronco models sold between 1966 and 1977.

The exterior incorporates 15 LED lightbars, including a grille sequence framing the new BRONCO brand lettering.

An illuminated ‘R’ signifies this is a one-off racer, while the exterior paint job harks back to the 1969 winner.