Drift-Ready from the Factory: Inside the Development of the 2026 Mustang RTR
Johnson Valley has a way of showing you exactly where a vehicle is lacking. I was out there with Loren Healy, watching him push a prototype through the sand, when the mission became clear: we needed to bring this kind of high-speed adrenaline to the people who don't have a Raptor budget.
This shared understanding of fun coming first is what allowed Ford and RTR to launch the second chapter of a motorsport-inspired collaboration with the 2027 Bronco RTR.
Developed alongside RTR Vehicles founder Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Healy, Bronco RTR was designed to make high-performance off-roading as accessible as it is exciting. We’ve taken the championship-winning expertise from RTR and baked it into a truck that stays within reach for the average enthusiast. It’s about democratizing high-speed performance.
Building on our dominance at the King of the Hammers, we designed the Bronco RTR to focus on the kind of high-speed desert performance that’s traditionally belonged to the Stroppe and Raptor. It does so with a high-clearance suspension and standard 33-inch tires — a combination we’ve never offered on a Bronco before, providing off-road capability that’s distinct from other members of the Bronco family. That engineering pays off the second you hit the dirt, where the suspension gives you the confidence to stay on the throttle.
“You know it’s going to be an absolute blast to drive before you even get behind the wheel.”Loren Healy, two-time King of the Hammers champion
“Bronco has great racing heritage to take inspiration from, and Raptor has blazed a trail in high-speed off-roading that customers love. We kept those things in mind with Bronco RTR,” Healy said.
“But we know that some performance enthusiasts can’t necessarily afford a Bronco Raptor. That was our brief developing Bronco RTR: Find a sweet spot for high-speed off-road performance and make it a great value for thrill-seeking Bronco owners. It sits in a really unique place in the Bronco lineup.”
For those who want to push even harder, we’ve made the Sasquatch package a serious heavy hitter for the RTR. We’re including the HOSS 3.0 suspension with FOX Internal Bypass Dampers as standard equipment when you check that box.
Usually, you’d have to jump all the way to a Badlands trim and stack multiple options to get this setup. We wanted to cut through the red tape and give RTR drivers the best damping we offer, right out of the gate, so they can handle the big hits without bottoming out.
“It's a very stout-looking vehicle — bigger tires and more suspension and bigger shocks,” Healy said. “You can automatically see the attitude of the vehicle is very capable. You know it’s going to be an absolute blast to drive before you even get behind the wheel.”
We put Bronco RTR to the test with Healy and team in Johnson Valley during development. It’s how we knew the four-door body and 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine with 10-speed automatic were the right combination. We went with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost for a very specific reason: weight.
In the dunes, a lighter front end makes the Bronco more flickable. It dances over the sand rather than digging into it, making it feel more like a desert pre-runner than a traditional rock crawler.
The turbocharged 2.3-liter engine is ripe for upgrades, too. We upgraded it for high-speed off-road driving by taking the 1,000-watt cooling fan from the Bronco Raptor. And then we added our software-operated, race-derived anti-lag system. It gives Bronco RTR the instant thrust needed when powering out of a soft sand wash and can't afford to wait for the turbo to spool up.
Bronco RTR is loaded with know-how and competition-derived equipment, but it also mixes signature RTR attitude with Bronco’s functional design.
“It’s bright and loud. It stands out,” Healy said, highlighting the available Hyper Lime accents and vibrant graphics.
A new grille with RTR signature lighting, Bronco RTR-specific Evo 6 wheels, and heritage-inspired wheel arches provide subtler details. These details, along with the available Avalanche Gray paint, give Bronco RTR the tools it needs to stand out on the trail. But Healy says there’s more to Bronco than looks and capability.
“There’s a pedigree to this vehicle. It’s from Johnson Valley — we developed it there, taking what Ford and RTR have learned taking King of the Hammers championships and putting it to work,” Healy said.
“It’s the same approach Ford took developing the Bronco Raptor, but with that added RTR approach to performance and style. It's a well-built vehicle. We really did our homework to give people a vehicle they know will survive whatever they put it through. Because it survived everything we put it through in Johnson Valley.”
Ed Krenz is the Bronco chief program engineer.
