Tickford adds power and $21K to Ford Ranger

The Tickford name has returned to the Aussie automotive landscape – with a powered up crew-cab Ford one-tonner and a price list that allows you to spend up to an extra $21,135 on your ride.

That’s the total the Tickford upgrades add to the Ford Ranger, Tickford’s nominated debut vehicle.

The details of the spend include $7995 for a powertrain package, $4530 for 20-inch wheel/tyre and suspension upgrade, and an interior makeover that will set you back almost $4000. All of the upgrades are available separately and most are covered by Tickford (and/or Ford) warranties.

The powertrain upgrade adds an air-filter, intercooler, pipe kits, 2.5-inch cat-back exhaust, an ECU recalibration (custom diesel tune) and Tickford’s driveline warranty.

Tickford claims the package delivers a power increase of up to 15 per cent and a torque boost of up to 20 per cent, as well as improved throttle response. By our calculations that would have the Ranger's 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel pumping out close to 170kW and more than 560Nm.

The Tickford-developed, side-exiting exhaust the kit uses features dual carbon outlets to “provide strong visual cues to the powertrain changes,” says Tickford’s press blurb.

Although the kit was developed for the latest PXII Ranger, the engine upgrade kit can be fitted to pre-facelifted models.

Tickford’s suspension wheel and tyre package for Ranger features Bilstein dampers and King springs. The 20-inch wheels are bespoke and are manufactured for Tickford “by the same company who supply the current Formula 1 World Champions”.

Tickford will also offer components and kits in more bite-size chunks. By way of example there is damper only kit priced at $1285 fitted. Various dress-up options are also available.

It’s not known at this time whether Tickford will also offer kits featuring Supashock dampers. Tickford’s parent company Prodrive Racing Australia (PRA) uses the Australian developed suspension technology in its Ford Falcon Supercars.

As reported by motoring.com.au previously, Tickford is a new customer-facing venture by the partners behind PRA. The overall operation is headed up by Prodrive boss, Tim Edwards. The Performance Parts operation is headed by ex-Walkinshaw Performance exec, Tony Harris.

Tickford opens its doors this month and will offer its Ranger upgrades and an as-yet-unspecified range of Mustang enhancement packages via Tickford Modification Centres located (initially) in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

The Melbourne operation opens this week, co-located with Prodrive Racing in Campbellfield on the city’s northern outskirts. Tickford expects to open its Sydney operation before the end of 2016, with Brisbane opening in early 2017.

The company is expected to add a Tickford-tuned Everest to its line-up in the first half of 2017. Ford’s Focus RS hot hatch would also be a logical target for the operation.

“Everyone at Tickford is excited to be providing Australian automotive enthusiasts with a new option for vehicle personalisation, while ensuring we maintain the strong engineering roots of the brand’s previous incarnations,” CEO Tim Edwards said in the company’s launch release.

“We’ve been working for nearly two years, away from the public eye, to ensure we developed a strong business model with a set of guiding principles which allows us to develop and deliver premium products,” he said.

“We’re lucky to have class-leading product in Ranger and Mustang to start our personalisation program. This has allowed us to focus strongly on component development and testing so we come to market with components tested to manufacturers’ standard and backed by our own warranty. This ensures the best possible product and maximum peace-of-mind for our customers,” Edwards stated.

The Tickford name has a chequered history Down Under. Last operated in Australian in 2001, the operation was taken over by British automotive engineering firm, Prodrive, and then evolved to become Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) in partnership with Ford Australia. Ford Australia acquired Prodrive’s share of FPV in 2013 and “retired” the brand in 2014.

Nonetheless Edwards says the decision to use the Tickford moniker for the new operation was “natural”.

“The choice of Tickford for the name of our automotive aftermarket business was a natural one for us based on our ownership history. We are the direct descendants of Tickford’s previous operations in Australia so it makes sense for us to bring the brand back.

“The nature of the [new] business is very similar to Tickford of the past – a focus on high-quality engineering and a passion for performance vehicles. We know a lot of people are very emotionally connected to the brand.

“We see ourselves of custodians of the name all while injecting a modern interpretation of what Tickford is about,” he said.