Zac Quinn 
After the concept art of an S650 Ford Mustang Raptor emerged, the internet was taken by storm about the what-ifs. Having a high-performance car that’s impressive on the tarmac and yet equally capable of going off-road sounded pretty awesome; what’s more, the look of a Ford Mustang Raptor had many car enthusiasts with their eyes sparkling with desire. Though Ford CEO Jim Farley has recently doused those dreams during a discussion with Motortrend, perhaps something else is coming.
Not A Ford Mustang Raptor, But Maybe There’s Opportunity
At Ford’s recent cars and coffee at Greenfield Labs, Farley had high performance on his mind as the ultra-rare, rally-car-for-street M-sport R5 was sitting just a few feet away. With the rally car in sight, Farley began to muse about what a purpose-built, high-performance supercar, built for gravel stages and pavement, could look like. Not something like the M-Sport R5, which must be based on a high-volume production vehicle, but something beyond that, “a purpose-built, supercar.” During the discussion, Farley referenced the sales success of the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, which have completely sold out.
The apparent choice vehicle for something like this would be a Ford Mustang, bearing modifications similar to a Raptor. But when asked about it, Farley was quick to put water on a “report” from a leading automotive magazine (the same one that claims there’s a Corvette SUV coming, when there isn’t). instead, he pointed towards something different, the next big thing from Ford. He imagines a supercar converted to going offroad, but something entirely new.
If Ford was to put this vision in motion, we could very well see a new addition to Ford’s lineup and possibly an entirely new segment within the automotive world, a high-performance car that can be used as a daily driver and taken off-road for some fun in the dirt and mud. We’re definitely on board with it; who doesn’t want two great packages combined into one unforgettable creation?
Ford CEO Jim Farley has also floated around other S650 Mustang ideas, such as a street legal version of the upcoming GT3 race car, pictured below. Recent spy photos of a new Mustang featuring a center-exit exhaust may have given us a first look at this upcoming extreme muscle car. So, even if there’s not going to be a “Mustang Raptor,” there are exciting times ahead from Ford nonetheless.
