VIDEO: WRC-inspired Ford Ranger on sale in Oz for almost $90K

THE Ford Ranger is one of Australia’s most popular vehicles, meaning it’s harder than ever to stand out from the crowd in a run-of-the-mill dual-cab pick-up.

Enter the MS-RT Ford Ranger from M-Sport, which, for those unfamiliar, is the team that runs Ford’s crazy World Rally Championship race cars.

The motorsport outfit has turned its hand to road cars recently, taking the Ford Ranger XLT and giving it a radical visual transformation.

What you see here is what you get, with only a choice of transmission between the six-speed manual variant that costs $86,990, and a six-speed automatic for $88,990.

So, what do you get for the cash?

The most obvious change over the standard XLT Ranger is the bodywork, with Carlex Design providing striking front and rear bumpers, along with widened wheel arches.

The MS-RT Ranger rides on BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres, wrapped around unique 18-inch wheels.

A Pedders suspension system gives the modified ranger a two-inch lift to the ride height, adding to the imposing stance and road presence.

Dual ‘Lazer’ LED light bars are integrated into the front grill, while a single larger unit is fitted to the roof.

Inside the cabin there is leather upholstery and a flat-bottomed steering wheel, along with unique contrast stitching.

The rest of the vehicle is standard Ford Ranger, including the infotainment system.

The team at Autosource International sell the cars in Australia, assembling them locally.

If the M-Sport stickers are too conservative for you, or if you have a two-wheeled perversion, there is also a Valentino Rossi edition, which is otherwise the same but comes with bold ‘46’ graphics.

There have been no modifications to performance aside from a dual-exit sports exhaust. That means a 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine up front, making the same 147kW/470Nm as standard.