The latest Ariel Nomad 2 has switched to Ford power, so Henry Catchpole thought he’d take it to meet its big brother, the Ford Raptor T1+ that competes in the world’s toughest off-road race, The Dakar, with Ford Performance and M-Sport. It was a very special day.
The Raptor T1+ is an extraordinary off-road supercar. With a fabulous, naturally-aspirated V8 soundtrack that fills the entire forest and Fox Racing suspension that deserves super slow-motion footage to capture its brilliance, the Raptor is incredible to behold. But Catchpole didn’t just watch it he also got to drive it (the first person outside the team to do so) and didn’t hold back, stretching the 5-litre Coyote engine to the max.
We also interviewed Dakar legend Nani Roma about driving in the dunes and found out exactly what makes the external bypass technology in the suspension so special. The Ariel Nomad 2 isn’t left out either, with some fairly special suspension of its own that means it can tackle both gravel fire road and rough tarmac B-road with utter disdain.
The engine in the back of the Nomad is a 2.3-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder Ford engine that has three switchable maps and can put out up to 305bhp and 382lb ft of torque. As the Nomad only weighs 715kg (1576lb) it has plenty of performance. The engine isn’t the only change either, with larger tubing for greater chassis stiffness, a longer wheel base, wider tracks and a 40 percent bigger fuel tank. It’s all designed to make the Nomad more robust and capable while retaining the fun, free-spirited ethos.
We hope you enjoy this film. The incredible footage was shot by the ever talented Glenn Winhall, with help from Sam Riley and Alex Johnstone. If you would like to support the Hagerty YouTube channel then please do think about subscribing and leaving a thumbs up or a comment - it really does help. And if you would like more information about Hagerty Marketplace, then this is the link you need: https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace
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