Ford Bronco DR brings Baja 1000 spirit to Broad Arrow’s Monterey auction

If news reports and social media posts from June’s Baja 500 inspired you to have a go at Mexico’s madcap desert race, now might be the time to start building a suitable dune basher for next year.

Or you could just buy this wild and crazy Ford Bronco, because the DR in its name refers to the fact that this is a turnkey desert racer that’s been professionally built from the ground up.

Ford Performance launched the DR back in 2021 as a limited edition of 50 vehicles based on a hugely modified version of the Bronco platform. Built in partnership with Canada-based Multimatic Motorsports (which also worked on the development of the latest Ford GT road car and Mustang GT3 racers), the DR bristles with top-quality off-road fixtures that make it vastly different from the regular Bronco SUV.

For a start, the DR features a custom-built rollcage and glass-fibre body panels, all suspended on Multimatic spool-valve dampers and massive, 37in diameter BF Goodrich off-road tyres.

Up front, meanwhile, the regular Bronco engine options were ignored in favour of a 5-litre V8 Coyote motor that churns out 412bhp to drive all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic gearbox bolted to a stock transfer case (the configuration used by Ford for its works off-roaders).

And, best of all, this Bronco DR has yet to be used in anger – it has covered a mere 19 miles since it was built, and doesn’t have a single cactus scratch on the gold, white and blue coachwork that replicates the livery of ‘Big Oly’, the Bronco driven to victory in the 1970 Mexican 1000 by Parnelli Jones.

2023 FORD BRONCO DR
On sale with Broad Arrow Auctions, Quail Golf Club, Carmel, California, August 13-14.
Estimate: £200,000-£250,000. broadarrowauctions.com