- ford took jay leno's 1968 bronco suv, restored it, and heavily modified its mechanicals.
- a new engine is under the hood, the mustang shelby gt500's supercharged 5.2-liter v-8 paired to a five-speed manual transmission.
- the restomod was unveiled at the sema show and will be featured on an episode of jay leno's garage.
ford is finding any excuse to drum up anticipation for the revival of the bronco, and this restomodded version of jay leno's 1968 bronco is the perfect example. what started as a harmless joke played on leno by rival late-night host craig ferguson—the bronco was left in leno's parking spot on the last day of taping for the tonight show—has now turned into a showpiece for the sema show in las vegas. this is thanks to some involved restorations and modifications by ford, the bronco experts at kincer chassis, and dennis carpetner ford restoration parts.
the full restoration is impressive on its own, but the real kicker is the supercharged 5.2-liter v-8 engine pulled from the mustang shelby gt500 and dropped under the hood of the bronco. ford doesn't say if it makes the full 760 horsepower in this application, but it does route through a five-speed manual and a four-wheel-drive system with a transfer case.
the look is remarkably subdued given the amount of grunt, as this '68 bronco is unadorned with any wild graphics or add-ons. it's instead painted in a subtle shade of dark blue, which contrasts nicely with the white grille, white roof, and 18-inch steel wheels. inside, it gets digital gauges, special leather, and a sony audio system to modernize things.
leno himself will be highlighting this bronco and its modifications on an upcoming episode of his cnbc show jay leno's garage, and it's on display this week at the sema show in las vegas.