King of the Slammers: desert driving in the bonkers Ford Bronco El Bandito

We’re out in the high desert, 45 minutes or so from Las Vegas. Just over the hill there’s a firing range and an old graveyard for military helicopters... all around it’s sand, rock, wickedly jagged terrain, patches of spiky yucca and haunting Joshua trees. Soon the area will be torn up by the deranged Ford Bronco El Bandito and its 5.2-litre supercharged V8, which could drown out a raging firefight and a whole squadron of Black Hawks. But first we have to say hi to El Bandito’s handlers and start capturing the photography and video required.

“So,” I begin. “Um, do you think it might be possible – and it’s fine if you can’t – but maybe you could...” I’m prevaricating because what I’m about to say sounds completely absurd and I’ve only just met this guy. “Well, this might be a bad idea. But, do you think you could jump it over my head?” There’s silence for the blink of an eye before the answer comes with a grin. “Sure, we can do that. There’s a spot just over there that’ll work.” And the tone for the day is set. Anything goes.

I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise as El Bandito is an outlaw that doesn’t conform to any ruleset, but draws heavily from the worlds of Ultra4 racing and its headline King of the Hammers event, plus the gruelling, evocative and plain bonkers Baja 1000. The idea that anything is too wild for these two off road motorsport events is pretty mind blowing, but El Bandito is, I guess, the ultimate all rounder. If your commute happens to take in rocks the size of a family hatchback, sand dunes, desert washboard and frequent flight, that is. 

Photography: Mark Fagelson

The guy happy to leap around 2,500kg of truck over my head is Loren Healy and El Bandito is the product of his company, Fun-Haver Offroad, in conjunction with Ford. Healy has won King of the Hammers twice, is a five time Ultra4 champion and has victories on the Baja 1000, too. He’s cool, laid back and incredibly enthusiastic. Later I’ll find out his super relaxed persona changes to something akin to demonic possession when driving, but for now he just seems like the nicest guy on the planet. “This thing is my dream Bronco project,” he says. “And – I say this all the time – it’s the most fun vehicle I’ve ever driven. There’s just something about it.”

There’s a lot about it. So let’s try to understand what’s required to hit huge boulders at 70mph and not immediately die. Loren takes up the story. “To me this is a whole mix of luxury pre-runner, an Ultra4 truck that would take on King of the Hammers, a Trophy Truck and a production Bronco.” We have different ideas of luxury – the Bandito doesn’t have a windscreen or windows, let alone air conditioning and massage seats – but it’s really that hardware that matters.

So, the front mounted engine is the supercharged 5.2 V8 as seen in the Mustang GT500 or Raptor R but now fitted with a 3.8-litre Whipple blower and good for 1,000–1,100bhp. It drives through a 3spd TH400 transmission with manual lockout supplied by Gearworks and single speed transfer case built for monster truck applications. El Bandito is 4WD, which has become the preferred way in Baja in the last few years. Previously, mid-engined, RWD trucks were the weapon of choice. 

Rather amazingly, El Bandito was built up from a preproduction Bronco that had been used for durability testing. Bronco ‘55’ was due to be crushed but Healy bought it for $1 and the project was born. What’s left of 55? Not a huge amount. The doors, the dash architecture and the badges, I guess. But Ford is very serious about being ‘the Porsche of off road’, and many more production derived Broncos and Raptors are seeing huge success in off road events in North America. El Bandito, of course, goes one giant leap beyond.

The chassis is a bespoke all chromoly tube setup by Kibbetech Offroad Fabrication & Design, reinforced with huge bash plates similar to an Ultra4 racer to survive those rocks and massive jumps. Suspension, of course, is absolutely where the magic of these sorts of vehicles is really conjured and as well as incredibly strong Triton Engineering billet arms and uprights, El Bandito also features Fox Live Valve shocks that can adapt to the terrain in real time. The setup has 20 inches of travel at the front and 25 inches at the rear. Tyres are 42in Nitto Trail Grapplers running on 20in rims with a double beadlock system, which allows tyre pressures to run as low as 2psi without any worries about the rubber detaching from the wheel.

You swing open a door to climb into El Bandito and that’s just about the last time that anything feels normal and within the usual frames of reference. The seats, funnily enough, are Recaro Sportsters, which used to be fitted to RenaultSport Clios and Meganes. They’re mounted a bit higher though, and the view out is a bit different, too. There’s no glass anywhere for obvious reasons and a deep upside down V shape of chromoly dissects the middle of the windscreen. The steering wheel is a small, three spoke racing item finished in a blue camo pattern that makes it feel like it should be fitted to a 1990s Vauxhall Corsa.

Turn on the ignition, fire the engine and say a prayer to the gods of internal combustion. The noise is deep, hard edged and everywhere. The gearbox clicks heavily through its crazy paved route and I immediately wonder if I’ll be able to keep this thing going in the right direction while also fumbling with the heavy duty gearshift. I’ve never wanted paddles more. Amusingly, there’s also a long levered hydraulic handbrake. Fun-Haver is a joint business venture with Vaughn Gittin Jr, so some of his drifting influence has made its way into El Bandito.

Our course, located at Ford’s Bronco Off-Roadeo facility, is just about perfect. Long and varied enough to feel like we’re out in the wilds, but not so vast that it’s impossible to learn. Loren is my co-driver and rather than attempt to slow me down he’s an advocate of what I believe our American cousins would call ‘hauling ass’. Within 24 seconds of first opening the throttle (and with a huge torque converter it takes a lot of right pedal just to get going) the action takes a long pause as we sail through the air over the first of many, many jumps. It’s a serene moment in an otherwise frantic, incredibly physical opening salvo of thundering V8 noise and ingesting great waves of dust and dirt. The landing is as smooth as a Bentley Flying Spur floating over a speed bump.

The way El Bandito deals with desert terrain is mind altering. Over gravel and rocks, through ruts and skimming across rapid fire bumps the ride is way more supple than, say, a BMW M4 Competition on a lap of the Nürburging. This composure breeds almost instant confidence and the sharpness of the engine is harnessed beautifully by the 4WD system. Of course you’re never fully hooked up on this loose surface but El Bandito rips into the surface and finds really effective drive. It slides predictably, too. Loren warns me that if I overshoot a corner it’s wise to just straighten up and give up on the apex (it’s not like anything in your path is likely to stop you) to avoid any danger of rolling over, but in reality I’m just not carrying enough speed for things to get critical.

The steering is light and responsive, the balance is a little bit of understeer on the way in if you’re not aggressively using the rear biased brakes or hydraulic handbrake, but once the car is turned you can light up that amazing engine and exit with a good twist of opposite lock and the glow of a superhero who’s foiled a world ending plot.

If only I could deal with the rabid action, ever changing balance and attempting to read the terrain while also using the heavy, slightly out of sight gear selector. In the event, Loren just shifts between first and second for me, while giving hand signals to keep it pinned and laughing in encouragement. The jumps get bigger, the speeds rise and El Bandito grows in stature. What a thing. Every fantasy you’ve had about the Baja or King of the Hammers is wrapped up in this truck and the reality is way, way beyond your wildest dreams.

This remarkable truck floats, slides and soars with a poise that’s completely at odds with the tough, inhospitable landscape

The final act of our day is a ride with Loren around the very same course. To experience El Bandito unleashed is something very special indeed. Loren’s confidence is clear to see as he sets the truck up for every turn by locking the rear axle to point the nose just where he wants it. The jumps are taken flat out and a big midair blip of throttle keeps the flight path flat and true and despite getting much more height the landings are even more cushioned. Incredibly, this is all done one handed as he rests his right palm on the gear selector to manipulate that mighty, artillery spec supercharged V8. Not an ounce of performance is left on the table. When it’s over I walk away in mild disbelief and wearing a very big grin. I hear Loren talking to the crew. “Yep, that was full qualifying pace,” he says.

It’s an unforgettable few minutes. This remarkable truck floats, slides and soars with a poise that’s completely at odds with the tough, inhospitable landscape. The suspension is some sort of black magic. Yet despite the infinitely adjustable balance it has a fluid, almost delicate feel, such is the responsivenes – the soundtrack, heat and exposure to all manner of torn up sand, dust and gravel make for an overwhelming, exhausting assault on mind and body.

For Loren and others who compete in events like the Baja or King of the Hammers we’re not even on the nursery slopes of off road racing. As the truck comes to a rest and the fierce V8 shuts off to leave a profound silence, I ask Loren how long each stint would be in the Baja. “My longest ever was 18 hours. That was rough.” I make him repeat it. Maybe twice. Driving like this, through much tougher terrain with no ‘play by play’ pace notes and – this bit is staggering – in the dark, seems like it should probably be illegal. “Oh, it’s the Wild West down there,” he says with a wide smile. The Ford Bronco El Bandito might not ever race Baja, but its spirit seems to perfectly encapsulate the sheer madness that Loren and his colleagues, rivals and friends just call life. I adore it.