Ford Performance take the Bronco in a new direction.
The retro-revival wave that began in the 2000s is still going strong in the 2020s. Last year, Ford revived the Bronco name in a way that was surprisingly faithful to the spirit of the original model, yet modern enough to pass the stringent safety and emissions requirements of the day. Ford came up with a number of specifications of the Bronco (including a soft-roader Bronco Sport). One of the most interesting packages was the Bronco Sasquatch Package. This adds 35″ tyres, 17″ Beadlock Capable wheels, front and rear locking differentials, Bilstein position-sensitive monoblock shocks, 4.7 final drive ratio, and high-clearance fender flares.
Now, Ford Performance are taking that Bronco 2.7 V6 equipped with the Sasquatch package to its extremes with the Bronco 4600. They’re doing this to run in the ULTRA4 stock class racing series, but they also want to show customers what they can do with their Broncos.
Here’s what they’ve changed on the Ford Bronco 4600.
- Competition-tuned High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension System
- Fox coilover shocks with remote reservoirs and Fox pneumatic bump stops
- Wilwood Engineering brakes
- Heavy-duty front portal hubs from 74 Weld mounted to Triton Engineering control arms with heavy-duty Howe hydraulic steering rack with cooler
- Dana™ AdvanTEK e-locking differential with RCV custom halfshafts deliver front wheel torque
- Triton Engineering rear links supporting a Dynatrac ProRock XD60® axle with an ARB 35-spline Air Locker® and Spidertrax Spider 9™ axle shafts and hubs
- Ford Performance modified front and rear modular steel bumpers
- Warn® ZEON® winch
- RIGID® LED off-road light
- Custom roll cage by Geiser Brothers
- FIA off-road-certified race shells from Recaro®
They’ve also come up with a special livery for the car featuring available Bronco colours like Race Red, Oxford White and Velocity Blue. There’s also matte black on the hood with white upper and red lower body lines. The colours take inspiration from the 1969 Baja 1000-winning Bronco. Oh, and there’s a red ‘R’ on the grille-mounted BRONCO logo.
PRESS RELEASE
Today, Ford Performance is revealing the all-new Bronco 4600 race vehicle that will run in ULTRA4 stock class beginning this year. The all-new outdoor brand of Built Wild™ 4x4s, Bronco 4600 race vehicle demonstrates how 2021 Bronco two-door and four-door customers can prep their 4×4 for off-road racing in the ULTRA4 series.
The next step in Built Wild off-road racing
Like the first-generation Bronco that took the 1969 Baja 1000 outright, new Bronco 4600 builds on this winning tradition starting with a 2021 Bronco two-door SUV with stock powertrain running on a competition-tuned High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) System.
Testing of Bronco 4600 begins later this month, with the race vehicles going on to run this year in ULTRA4 alongside factory-backed Bronco 4400 series race vehicles also revealed this week at King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California.
Built on a 2021 Bronco two-door with Sasquatch™ Package, Bronco 4600 utilizes race-tested production 2.7-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, SelectShift® 10-speed automatic and second-generation T-6 chassis. It serves as a test bed for a growing list of Ford Licensed Accessories and Ford Performance parts alongside the independent performance aftermarket.
Taking learnings from the Bronco R Race Prototype that ran the 2019 and 2020 Baja 1000, the Bronco 4600’s competition-tuned high-performance off-road stability suspension features Fox coilover shocks with remote reservoirs and Fox pneumatic bump stops at all four corners. It also features Wilwood Engineering brakes and 35-inch BFGoodrich® mud-terrain T/A® KM3 tires mounted to Method Race Wheels 202 Forged Beadlock wheels.
Heavy-duty front portal hubs from 74 Weld are mounted to Triton Engineering control arms with heavy-duty Howe hydraulic steering rack with cooler. A factory Dana™ AdvanTEK e-locking differential with RCV custom halfshafts deliver front wheel torque. In back, Triton Engineering rear links support a Dynatrac ProRock XD60® axle with an ARB 35-spline Air Locker® and Spidertrax Spider 9™ axle shafts and hubs. Ford Performance supplies modified front and rear modular steel bumpers and a Warn® ZEON® winch, while RIGID® LED off-road lights improve night vision. A custom roll cage by Geiser Brothers and first-ever FIA off-road-certified race shells from Recaro® are added inside.
Bronco 4600 series teams feature an all-star lineup of off-road racing veterans, including Fun-Haver teammates Vaughn Gittin Jr. and two-time King of the Hammers champion Loren Healy. In addition, a Bronco 4600 will be driven by teammates Jason Scherer, a three-time King of the Hammers champion and Bailey Cole, seasoned racer in ULTRA4 and Score Baja 1000 winner in class. A third Bronco 4600 race team includes Brad Lovell, who has won championships in ULTRA4, and his brother Roger Lovell, a professional engineer who has used his talents in off-road design and also has multiple off-road racing wins and championships.
Inspired ‘war paint’ pays homage to Bronco brand’s race legacy
Bronco 4600 race vehicles feature a new livery leveraging factory 2021 Bronco colors – Race Red, Oxford White and Velocity Blue. The front design takes inspiration from the 1969 Baja 1000-winning Bronco, with matte black hood, plus white upper and red lower body lines that transitions into a more modern Bronco design scheme extending rearward. The hood sports a white Bronco logo. Like Bronco R Race Prototype and Bronco Sport Rebelle Rally SUVs, Bronco 4600’s “R” in the grille is distinctly red.
Official truck and SUV of ULTRA4 and SCORE off-road racing
Bronco brand and Ford’s collaboration with ULTRA4 signals a growing presence in the off-road enthusiast realm. Recently, Ford stepped up to serve as official truck and SUV of SCORE-International Off-Road Racing, which holds the Baja 500, Baja 1000 and San Felipe 250 championships. Ford also serves as official vehicle of Best in the Desert.
