If you haven’t been to Horsepower Ranch just outside of Ensenada, Baja California, you need to go. Tucked away in the Rancho San Juanito Valle just six miles inland from downtown Ensenada and the Pacific Ocean, Horsepower Ranch is a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city.
When Don Digby became a partner of Horsepower Ranch he wanted a pre-runner that could be reliable and still handle everything Baja is known for. He wanted a pre-runner specifically for exploring Baja that was comfortable, low maintenance, and easy to work on. So he reach out to builder Dave Wiley, who had begun his fabrication career at Herbst Motorsports and then moved on to start his own shop T3 Motorsports.
Mad Media Director of Photography Vincent Knakal met up with Digby on location to shoot his polished pre-runner, using the ranch as the backdrop that inspired its creation.
This Classic Ford squared off body style features all the accouterments you would expect in a luxury pre-runner including a leather headliner, leather dash, GPS, Radio, Sparco Seats, and a Momo Steering Wheel. The exterior features a hot rod style gloss black with a flat black body line scallop contrasting the Classic Ford squared off body style.
The suspension features I-beams in the front and is 4-linked in the back with Fox 4.0 Coilover Shocks with by-passes all the way around.The stroked LS3 puts out 650 horsepower without compromising reliability and runs off pump gas so there’s no need to drag fuel drums all over Baja.
The gas tank is 70 gallons giving him plenty of range for those extra long pre-run sections and has a surrogate fuel line so if you when your buddy runs out of gas you can help him out.
Owner: Don Digby
Builder: Dave Willey / T3 Motorsports
Chassis: T3 Hand Built
Weight: 6,200 Lb.
Wheel Base: 139″
Track Width: 92″
Front Suspension: I-Beam 22″ Travel, Fox Coilovers and 4.0 Bypasses
Rear Suspension: 4 Link 32″ Travel, Fox Coilovers and 4.0 Bypasses
Engine: 429ci Small Block 650+H.P. 600lbs torque
Transmission: Culhane Racing 4L80
Fuel Cell: Harmon 70 Gallon
Steering: Howe Ram Assist w/ Trophy Truck Pump
Tires: BFGoodrich 37″ Projects
Wheels: Method Beadlocks
Interior: Armando’s Customs Leather Dash/Headliner, PRP Belts
Seats: Sparco
Brakes: Wilwood 6 Piston Calipers, 14″ Rotors
Communication: PCI Race Radios
Navigation: Lowrance 10″ HD
Cooling: CBR Coolers and Radiator
Extras: Paint by Allred Customs
