Nasty Ford Bronco Raptor Could Conquer Mars and Look Good Doing It

The Blue Oval initially produced the Bronco in 1966, at a time when SUVs were not a thing. Yet the wacky idea coming out of Dearborn quickly caught on, as Americans immediately picked up on the benefits of having a daily driver around that was also big and capable enough to be used for less family-friendly activities.

During its initial stint on the market, which lasted for 26 years and a total of five generations, the Bronco became famous for a variety of things, starting from the off-road prowess and ending with its inability, when driven by O.J. Simpson, to give law enforcement agencies a proper run for their money.

Somehow the vehicle named after a wild horse embedded itself in the American consciousness, and even if Ford didn't make a new one for almost three decades, the nameplate didn't really go anywhere.

That's because a wealth of custom garages dedicated to restoring and bettering Broncos were born all across the country. And that's something not many American-made vehicles can brag about.

One such shop is called Maxlider Brothers Customs. Based in Bloomington, Illinois, it's relatively younger than other similar shops (it was established in the mid-2000s) that have known fame thanks to the Bronco, but not in the slightest less impressive.

Maxlider's initial stated goal was to restore vintage Broncos, and that's what it did for a while, until the sixth generation came about. Once that happened the goal expanded to the upfitting of the new SUVs as well.

And by upfitting these guys mean some serious business. Not only do they make sure Broncos are the undisputed leaders off the beaten path, but they also produce them in a series. Limited series, granted, but still a production run the likes of which not many other garages can offer.

For the 2022 – 2023 model year Broncos, for instance, Maxlider decided to transform a number of 150 SUVs of the Raptor variety. And by transform I mean upgrade to such an extent they look almost ready to be shipped over to Mars and claim the place for humanity.

One only needs to look at the 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor we have here to know that's so. The loaded custom SUV is number 33 in the series and is special in more ways than one.

The first important thing about it would be it was shipped right from the factory floor not only as a Raptor, but as one fitted with the Lux package, which adds a wealth of extras to the SUV, from ambient footwell lighting to a 10-speaker sound system, heated everything, and even voice control.

But that was not enough for Maxlider, so some modifications were in order. Many of them are targeted at making the vehicle more visually appealing, but there are mechanical and functional alterations and enhancements in there that promise to make it a true beast off the road.

We'll start with the latter group, of course. The first thing one notices is the incredibly large number of lights fitted on the Bronco. We get 4.7-inch LED cannon lights on the brush guard, but also on the mirrors. A number of cube lights are integrated into the bumper, and a bunch of others fitted up top, right above the windshield.

Having taken care of the SUVs' ability to turn night into day, the crew went on to fit it with protection gear. There's a modular front bumper with a brush guard at the front, a heavy-duty rear bumper, and skid plates at the front.

To make no secret of the fact the vehicle is to be used in the harshest of conditions, the front end is the beneficiary of a 10,000-pound WARN winch. The Ford was also equipped with four paracords, and power running boards.

No modifications were made to the original Bronco Raptor powertrain. There was no need to, given the fact the thing is brand new: a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine from the EcoBoost family, running a 10-speed automatic transmission.

There are however new wheels that spin under its power. More precisely we're talking about 18-inch pieces of hardware shod in massive, 37-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrain tires.

As for looks, whereas the exterior is painted in something called Cactus Gray, the interior is an explosion of orange leather.

We're discussing the Maxlider Ford Bronco no. 33 today because we've just spotted it ready to go under the hammer during the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the end of the month.

With just 76 miles (122 km) on its belt, the Bronco is hoping to entice people enough to pay a lot of money for it during the no-reserve sale. We'll see, and we will of course report back on the selling price as soon as we know it.

Update: sold for $159,500.