The Ranger pickup that Ford sells in Thailand is very, very similar to the one we get in the United States. That said, most of them end up lifted with bigger tires on our side of the Pacific, while Thai tuners sometimes take a different approach. Apparently, what we didn’t know is that they make stellar race trucks; for proof, here’s one built by Ford Thailand itself with Ohlins suspension, wild aerodynamic bodywork, a diesel engine and a six-speed manual.
This Ranger racer is built specifically for the country’s Super Pickup series, and it competes against plenty of unusual trucks just like it. It’s powered by a 3.2-liter inline-five turbodiesel and while they won’t reveal how much power it makes, it’s certainly more than the standard 194 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of torque. That output travels to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission, which is shifted by 25-year-old Thai-Norwegian racer Sandy Stuvik’s left hand.
As for the interior, it’s standard racing fare with a digital dash and quick-release steering wheel in the driver’s line of sight. A Racetech seat keeps Stuvik in place when carving corners, and there’s a roll cage occupying the space where the rear seats used to be. There’s no passenger’s seat in this pickup, but if someone scoops it secondhand in like 20 years to turn it into a rally truck, there’s definitely space for a navigator on driver’s left.
Ohlins suspension lowers the Ranger significantly, but there’s still a ton of room for wheel travel given the extremely tiny six-spoke wheels. They’re shod in sticky Hankook tires with bigger brakes tucked away at all four corners, and traction is aided by a tailgate-mounted wing and rear diffuser. The body is also said to be wider than standard and made of “lightweight materials.”
You can see the Ranger race truck in action thanks to Ford Thailand’s YouTube channel:
And CB Media also got an up-close look at the machine:
The video title says it’s a Ranger Raptor and while it does share components with the off-road variant, Ford Thailand never makes direct mention that it is indeed a “Raptor” by nature. The rear suspension seems to be the biggest giveaway since it rides on leaf springs rather than a multi-link setup like you’d find on the Raptor.
Regardless, it’s a stellar machine that you probably won’t see in your lifetime. Unless you go to Thailand, of course, in which case…lucky you!
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