Ford announced it will reveal “a new performance vehicle” in Germany later this month – not at an auto show or dedicated event, but at a gaming convention. But while it’s not explicitly saying exactly which model that will be, the signs point pretty strongly towards the Ranger Raptor.
The hard-core off-road performance version of the Blue Oval’s mid-size pickup is the smaller counterpart to the full-size F-150 Raptor. The Ranger Raptor packs a 2.0-liter twin-turbo diesel sending 210 horsepower to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The rough-and-tumble truck also features a beefier suspension and rolling stock, and an altogether tougher appearance.
Ford revealed the baby Raptor in Thailand for “global” markets (like Asia and Australia) earlier this year, and ran one up the hill at Goodwood last month with Gamescom branding. What we (or those attending) should see at the gaming show is the European version.
We don’t know what (if any) changes the EU-spec Raptor could bring. But we should find out when Europe’s largest gaming event opens its doors on August 21 in Cologne, Germany – the same city where Ford has based its European operations since 1929. It assembles cars there like the Fiesta along with many of its engines.
A little-known fact is that Aston Martin’s engine facility is also located within Ford’s sprawling factory in Cologne. It has been since the American automaker owned the British one in the 1990s and 2000s when it dissolved its Premier Automotive Group, selling Aston to the consortium lead by Prodrive chief David Richards, the Jaguar and Land Rover brands to Tata, and Volvo to Geely.