This Baja Truck Was the 2015 F-150 in Disguise

By Marcus Slater - January 15, 2014

This is probably the best example of hiding in plain sight I’ve seen from a manufacturer when it came to testing. Normally, you’ll be able to identify test mules on the road because of some poorly fitting body panels, or a cabin full of electronics. Ford took a slightly different approach. In addition to driving it around in camouflage, they took the F-150—equipped with the new 2.7 liter twin-turbo V6—racing in the desert.

They kept it hidden by using body panels from the current generation stamped in aluminum. From the outside it looks exactly like a normal, 12th gen F-150 with a skid plate and a lift kit and a cage. They kept the stock air-filter, stock suspension loactions, stock engine, stock frame, and even the stock transmission cooler. That is impressive, especially when you consider the engine they’re running was a completely new, clean sheet design.

I’m not sure if Ford would suggest you take your brand new F-150 on a 1000 mile rally in Mexico right off the lot, but it certainly sounds like it wouldn’t take much to do it.