Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, has told Top Gear that he and his team are actively discussing the idea of launching a standalone Raptor-branded off-road supercar.
The plan is to capitalize on the rise of the Raptor brand and Ford’s mission to “own off-road,” including an assault on off-road racing. This year, the American carmaker entered the Dakar Rally for the first time, with the Raptor T1+ finishing on the podium.
“We’re in the middle of creating something, so we don’t have all the answers yet, but the question is, should Ford make an off-road supercar? Not a version of a car—a standalone supercar,” Farley told us at the Ford Performance launch event in Charlotte.
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“The reason people love the Ranger Raptor...is because it’s a fun car, but the damping is very compliant. People don’t understand about off-road racing how compliant the damping is, and that makes it a totally different experience to being in a [Porsche 911] GT2 RS.
“That’s what we’re trying to answer: What do we do on a utility car? Is there a supercar? That’s what we’re debating now.”
We asked the same question to Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance, who is now responsible for both motorsport and the performance car division. “The mission of Ford Performance is to have as much motorsport as possible infused into the products that people can buy,” he said. “We love that we have an F-150, Bronco, and Ranger Raptor, but we can do more.
"Yes, the Raptor T1+ at Dakar represents the ultimate Raptor in many ways, and we’re learning a lot from that, both in terms of the competition [and] also in terms of feedback from customers, so all I can say is stay tuned...”
So, what do you think? Would a road-going Ford Trophy Truck with 1,000hp, witchcraft suspension, and an appetite for jumps and skids cut through in the congested world of supercars and hypercars these days? A raucous, silly-quick performance car that doesn’t wilt at the sight of a speed bump? Sounds good to us.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
