Ford unveiled the Ranger Raptor earlier this year and from the looks of it, the Dearborn automaker is already ready to take the performance truck to the next level. Come tomorrow, November 1, a racing version will come out of the canopy on Melbourne Cup Day, Australia’s horse racing event held annually on the first Tuesday in November. To generate buzz around the premiere, a short teaser video was posted on various social media channels.
It’s too early to tell what the Blue Oval has been working on, but the additional lights suggest it’s a rally-ready version for events such as the Baja 1000. All we can do is It’s speculation at this point, but we won’t be too surprised if it’s a Ranger Raptor R or something similar. The fast truck already comes from the factory with a dedicated Baja drive mode, meaning it was designed from the ground up to take a beating.
Unlike the previous generation Ranger Raptor, the new one is coming to North America where it has been confirmed to go on sale in 2023. The US and Canada are expected to receive the unleashed version with the full 392hp. and 583 Nm (430 lb-ft) of torque. In Europe, the truck only gets 288 hp and 491 Nm (362 lb-ft) from its twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine due to much stricter emissions regulations.
With the new Ranger Raptor, Ford is doing things differently by switching from a twin-turbodiesel four-cylinder to a V6 gasoline engine. In some markets there is also a diesel V6 for the non-Raptor version, while Volkswagen will sell its own truck as the second generation Amarok. As before, the Ranger served as the basis for a body-on-frame Everest SUV, but a spicy Raptor derivative is not currently planned.