Where there’s smoke, fire isn’t usually far behind. We caught a whiff of a super-high-end, super-high-performance Ford Raptor halo model back in January when CEO Jim Farley teased it in an interview with Top Gear. Now, he’s getting pretty specific about the project following a Bloomberg podcast appearance. Farley even went as far as saying it should have “1,000 horsepower” while being “partially electric and totally digitally enabled.” Think of it like a desert-bashing Mustang GTD, then.
“No one’s ever built a supercar for gravel, high-speed sand, dirt,” Farley said. “I’m thinking really deeply about it, and usually, that turns into something.”
It seems like Farley wants something far beyond a Porsche 911 Dakar or Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, because in most folks’ minds, they fall into the category he described there. You could argue that a prospective Ford off-road supercar buyer would have far different expectations, of course, and not just because the Blue Oval exists as a mainstream brand compared to the premium, exotic Europeans. Rather, Ford fans tend to be more passionate about bashing through dunes and jumping over stuff than driving somewhat fast on crappy roads.
“That would be a great direction for our company,” Farley continued, referencing the idea of a bespoke and standalone off-road supercar. “These Raptor people are telling us something. They’re not stupid. They’re really smart people. They spent $120,000 on an 800-horsepower pickup truck.”
What this car might look like is anybody’s guess. A pickup could be cool, but judging by Farley’s comments, it might not be singular enough. By that, I mean that a pickup is likely too multi-purpose. If Ford brings a Dakar racer to some speed-hungry millionaires, it probably won’t be concerned with hauling stuff in the bed or pulling a trailer.
There was a crazy rumor a few years back that Ford would roll out a Mustang Raptor in 2026, though Farley seemed to deflect that idea in his Top Gear spot in January:
“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. 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’ll have to see if Farley’s musings turn into something. If any automotive CEO would do something so crazy, though, my bet would be on him. Like he said, when he thinks big, “that turns into something.”
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