Ford Performance has revealed the new Bronco 4600 race truck that will run in the Ultra4 stock class beginning this year. Unlike the Bronco Ultra4 4400 unlimited class machine you saw last week, which merely resembles the Bronco that’s sold in showrooms, this 4600 is based on the production car.
“Innovating the off-road landscape and competing with Bronco’s higher-speed off-road abilities have always been at the core of Bronco brand’s heritage. Our new Bronco 4600 racers underscore our motorsports heritage and how the all-new 2021 Bronco can be tuned from the showroom floor to compete in the gruelling Ultra4 stock class series,” said Dave Rivers, Ford SUV marketing manager.
Built on a 2021 Bronco two-door with the Sasquatch Package, the Bronco 4600 utilises the race-tested production 2.7 litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, SelectShift 10-speed auto and second-generation T-6 chassis. It serves as a test bed for a growing list of Ford Licensed Accessories and Ford Performance parts.
Taking tips 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 (HOSS) System features Fox coilover shocks with remote reservoirs and Fox pneumatic bump stops at all corners. It also sports Wilwood Engineering brakes and 35-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrain T/A KM3 tyres and 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. At the 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.
Lastly, the “war paint”. The new livery leverages on factory 2021 Bronco colors – Race Red, Oxford White and Velocity Blue. The front design takes inspiration from the 1969 Baja 1000-winning Bronco, with a 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 the Bronco R Race Prototype and Bronco Sport Rebelle Rally SUVs, the Bronco 4600’s “R” in the grille is in red.
“Bronco 4600 underscores how ready the all-new Bronco is for competition and how Ford Performance is committed to driving the brand’s success across multiple off-road series. We look forward to off-road racing teams coming to this platform and to Ford Performance stepping up to continuously enhance the state of the art in off-road racing for them,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director at Ford Performance Motorsports.
Testing of the 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 trucks. Read more on the reborn sixth-generation Bronco and junior, less hardcore Bronco Sport.
GALLERY: Ford Bronco 4600 race truck
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
- Bronco 4600 Race Vehicle
GALLERY: 2021 Ford Bronco
- Optional advanced 4×4 system features two-speed electromechanical transfer case that adds an auto mode for on-demand engagement to select between 2H and 4H.
- Available segment-first SelectShift 10-speed automatic transmission makes for easier driving on- and off-road.
- Dana 44 AdvanTEK solid rear axle with available Spicer Performa-TraK electronic locking differential for improved traction over rough terrain.
- Available segment-exclusive semi-active hydraulic stabilizer bar disconnect provides maximum articulation and increased ramp angle index for off-camber terrain. This innovative system bests competitors by disconnecting during articulation.
- Dana 44 AdvanTEK solid rear axle with available Spicer Performa-TraK electronic locking differential for improved traction over rough terrain.
- Closeup of Dana AdvanTEK independent front differential.
- Closeup of Dana AdvanTEK independent front differential.
- Rear axle locating link mounting point.
- Dana 44 AdvanTEK solid rear axle with available Spicer Performa-TraK electronic locking differential for improved traction over rough terrain.
- Rear axle locating link mounting point.
- Closeup of a rear coil-over spring and available Bilstein long-travel position-sensitive shock absorber.
- Closeup of an EcoBoost turbocharger.
- Rear coil-over spring/shock absorber mounted to the fully boxed high-strength steel Bronco frame.
- Forged aluminum alloy upper control arm helps reduce unsprung weight for smoother, more precise off-roading at speed.
- Available Bilstein long-travel position-sensitive dampers with end-stop control valves and coil-over springs for improved off-road capability.
- Available 35-inch-diameter mud-terrain tires for 2021 Bronco two- and four-door models.
- Closeup of the 2021 Bronco independent front suspension featuring two forged aluminum alloy A-arms and available Bilstein long-travel position-sensitive dampers with end-stop control valves.
- Closeup of the 2021 Bronco independent front suspension featuring forged aluminum alloy lower A-arm.
- 35-inch-diameter beadlock-capable LT315/70R17 mud-terrain tires.
- Closeup of the 2021 Bronco solid rear axle linkage, disc brake and electronic parking brake.
- 2021 Bronco chassis and powertrain with Sasquatch Package featuring 17-inch high-gloss black aluminum alloy wheels, warm alloy beauty ring and beadlock-capable 35-inch LT315/70R17 mud-terrain tires.
- 2021 Bronco rear chassis with five-link solid axle, available Bilstein coil-over shock absorbers and M220 Dana 44 differential with electronic locking.
- 2021 Bronco chassis and powertrain with 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and Sasquatch Package suspension and tires.
- 2021 Bronco chassis and powertrain with 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and Sasquatch Package suspension and tires.