It looks like off-road racing wouldn’t be in Ford Bronco’s future anytime soon unless the automaker makes significant improvements as the model’s much talked about off-road debut didn’t go as planned. Before the Bronco even made an impact, it has already been defeated in the race.
The automaker is set to reveal the long-awaited Bronco sometime next spring. And to give people an idea of how the reborn model is likely going to look like, the company introduced the Bronco R Prototype. The R Prototype is a rugged off-road version and is built on the same platform used for the upcoming Bronco.
Ford chose the recent 2019 Baja 1000 race as the debut stage for the Bronco R Prototype. Unfortunately, the model failed to finish the competitive and challenging race.
The prototype was supposed to showcase the capability of the new Bronco, but brutal conditions proved too much for the off-roader to handle. To be fair, though, over 100 of the 264 competing vehicles failed to finish the race.
“The @SCOREintl #Baja1000 is one of the most grueling off-road races in the world – why we consistently test our latest off-road trucks in its conditions,” Ford Performance shared on Twitter. “We’re disappointed to not finish this year but will continue to test and improve the #FordBroncoR. See you next year!”
Although it wasn’t clear what made the Ford team decide to no longer continue with the race, it was revealed the team had to fix a broken skid plate and control arm, according to the tweets from Ford’s Mike Levine.
The Bronco R Prototype was joined by the Glickenhaus Scuderia Cameron Boot in the Class 2 competition. But unlike the Bronco, the Baja Boot managed to finish the race in 33 hours, 59 minutes, and 13.9 seconds.
The Baja Boot was inspired by the 1960s Baja Boot and is powered by GM’s LT4 that makes 650 horsepower. It is also expected to have a version for the American roads with 460 horsepower, a four-wheel independent suspension with 19 inches of travel, and 37-inch all-terrain tires. The Glickenhaus Boot will be sold as a two-door model, with a four-door version expected to follow suit.
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