The automotive world is very excited about the arrival of the reborn Ford Bronco, a popular nameplate that returns after decades of absence. Designed to challenge the Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler, this new-age icon has peaked our interest. However, today we are talking about a very different Bronco that recently appeared on Jay Leno’s garage.
Jay Leno is a well-documented petrolhead who’s a big fan of anything quirky – he has his own collection of steam-powered cars. Interesting machines often drop by his garage, and since Bronco is this week’s buzzword, a 1968 Bronco is the star of his latest video. However, this is no original 60s Bronco…
To the casual observer this classic 4×4 appears totally standard, what Joe Blogs doesn’t know is that this is Leno’s own Bronco that he has restomoded. Restomod projects involve taking a classic in need of some TLC and breathing new life into it in the way of modern performance. It was built in partnership with Ford Performance, SEMA Garage and LGE-CTS.
Originally capable of producing just 105bhp, the original drivetrain was swapped with that of a Shelby GT500 mustang. That means that this unsuspecting classic now packs over 760bhp! It was quite the engineering challenge to fit the 5.2-litre motor into a Bronco. In fact, this was the first time a manual transmission had ever been paired with this engine. A new chassis had to be fabricated as the original Bronco frame would have twisted due to the huge torque levels produced.
On the road Jay admits to enjoying tricking unsuspecting Porsche owners before ‘blowing their doors off’ at the traffic lights. It is seriously fast, raging down the road with the full fury of the Mustang that transplanted its heart.
The video has to be seen to be believed. Check out Jay Leno and what is likely the fastest Bronco in the world.
Keyword: Jay Leno drives a 760bhp Ford Bronco powered by a Shelby GT500