Here's a list of things we have a soft spot for: the 5.0L Mustang V8, awesome off-road racing trucks, the grueling Dakar rally, compact pick-up trucks like the Ford Ranger that every other country in the world gets, sequential manual gearboxes, and chunky rally tires. Because the company reads our thoughts and loves us, Ford put all of these things into one awesome vehicle.
That's right, this is a Ford Ranger with a modified 5.0L Mustang V8 under the hood that has been fully prepared to run the Dakar Rally. The engine produces 348 hp and 412 lb-ft of torque. The power figure is down because it's been tuned to produce as much torque at low RPMs as possible, which will be more useful off-road.
Personally, I'm not a huge truck guy, but if an SVT Ranger were available, I might just stop writing this article right now and go buy one.
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[via Ford]
