The Ford Ranger Raptor is happening! In an announcement made this morning on their Twitter page, Ford South Africa confirmed the development of a high-performance off-road Ford Ranger Raptor, whilst simultaneously confirming that it will be coming to South Africa!
The Ford Ranger Raptor will be the latest addition to the Ford Performance line-up of vehicles that includes the Focus RS, Ford Mustang Shelby GT-350, Ford GT supercar, and the Ford F-150 Raptor from which the Ranger Raptor adopts its name and ethos.
We are excited to announce the #RangerRaptor will be coming to SA with further info to be revealed in future: https://t.co/kIYLVxpBT6. pic.twitter.com/PQZ4Q2uwPk
— Ford South Africa (@FordSouthAfrica) September 7, 2017
The F-150 Raptor has garnered international praise for its road-going trophy truck styling, matched with incredible off-road racing ability in stock format. The F-150 Raptor utilises a twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 from the Ford GT, and features specially designed off-road racing tyres, as well as FOX Racing Shocks with more than 33cm worth of wheel travel.
At this stage it’s unknown what engine the Ford Ranger Raptor will have, but expect in excess of 200kW, in addition to specialised off-road race suspension. With the Ford Ranger Raptor being developed in the Australian outback, we can expect it to be sufficiently tough and capable off-road as Ford is no doubt testing it through some of Australia’s toughest conditions.
In the teaser video, which you can watch below, a heavily camouflaged prototype of the Ford Ranger Raptor can be seen in the hands of a professional driver performing all number of slides and insane jumps, showing off how much the suspension has been upgraded. The engine sounds like a high-performance petrol V6, though specifics will only be revealed closer to official launch.
The Ford Ranger Raptor will be launching officially during 2018, and with the Ranger bakkie frequently topping sales charts in South Africa, there is no doubt we’ll be one of the very first markets to receive it.
https://youtu.be/__YUso22hmY
