Gateway Bronco’s latest and greatest version of the iconic Ford SUV is quite the restomod. Not only does the Luxe-GT have the sort of paint job that makes it look like a ray of sunshine wherever you park it, there is also a brand new chassis underneath.
Gateway claims that this imparts the type of performance usually only found in modern SUVs. Designed with Premcar in Australia, the chassis is a claimed 70 percent stiffer torsionally, has independent front suspension, and brings with it ABS and stability control. As Gateways’s founder and CEO, Seth Burgett, tells us, there are also new crash structures built in both front and rear for greater peace of mind.
To help show-off the capabilities of the chassis, there is a Coyote 5.0-litre V8 under the bonnet putting out 460bhp and 420lb ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic gearbox. Perhaps even more important than the impressive 5.3 second 0–60mph time it propels the Bronco to, however, is the glorious soundtrack that the naturally aspirated V8 provides.
In order to really test the Bronco, Henry Catchpole took in a huge variety of California roads, from cruising around Santa Monica (Apple CarPlay was useful), through some miles on the interstate (the Focal stereo was impressive), to twisty canyon roads above Malibu. And wherever he drove or parked, this Bronco got a huge amount of attention – all of it overwhelmingly positive. It just seemed to make people smile. Which is nice. Hopefully the Point Break reference and the waterproof denim (yes, really) interior of this Bronco make you all smile.
