You can now order a brand-new, first-gen Ford Bronco
Ford has licensed Gateway Bronco to build new versions of the iconic 1960s and 1970s SUV.
The Southern California native briefly lived in Sydney, and is proud to have developed a barely passable Aussie accent. He also serves on the board of directors of the Motor Press Guild. When not reviewing cars or nerding out on OEM premium audio, you can find manual-labor-averse Manuel doing his best to convince his closest friends to fix the very Porsche that delivered him home.
With a new 2020 Ford Bronco rumored to debut at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show , and never-waning fanfare around the original 1966-77 Bronco, it would appear there's a market for these SUVs whether old or new. But what if you could have both? Now you can, thanks to a company called Gateway Bronco out of Hamel, Illinois.
Founded by mechanical engineer and entrepreneur Seth Burgett, Gateway Bronco began in 2016 as a Ford Bronco restoration company, but Burgett had higher ambitions. The company on Thursday announced it is now licensed by Ford to build new versions of the first-generation Bronco from scratch. "This is brand-new territory. Nobody has done this," Burgett says.
Gateway Bronco is already working on completing its first ground-up Bronco build, which it will debut at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auctions in January along with an Arizona-provided, 2018 reproduction VIN.
We live in a beautiful world where you can now buy an OG Bronco brand-new.
The first Gateway Bronco built from scratch will feature a 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V8, augmented with a Shelby supercharger and a six-speed automatic transmission along with four-link suspension, Brembo brakes and a genuine King Ranch leather interior. This debut build will be priced at $260,000, but if you're willing to be a little more conservative with your options, the starting price for one of these new-classic Broncos begins at $120,000. You'd better be patient, though, because order to delivery takes about six months.
If $120,000 is too high for you, a restomodded Gateway Bronco -- donor vehicle provided -- starts at $95,000. Gateway's restored Broncos come with a four-month turnaround time, but for more money, you can expedite that down to two months.
Acquiring a classic Bronco is a fantasy for many enthusiasts, but Gateway Bronco has just made it a possibility. With up to a five-year, bumper-to-bumper warranty backed up by modern engineering and manufacturing, that dream classic Bronco of yours just became a lot more practical, albeit pricey.