Yahoo Autos A Gateway Bronco Is Vintage Joy Without the Old-Truck Hassle
The Ford Bronco is back. Well, we're still waiting for Ford to start building its much-anticipated brand-new 4x4 wearing the Bronco name, but the first-generation truck is more popular than ever. To cater to this newfound enthusiasm, a robust Bronco restomod community has emerged. Gateway Bronco of Hamel, Illinois, is part of that, but unlike a lot of shops, Gateway won't take years upon years to build your vintage off-roader.
Seth Burgett is a lifelong Bronco fan. The founder and former CEO and president of headphone manufacturer Yurbuds, Burgett started looking into buying a restomodded first-gen Bronco after he sold that company to audio giant Harman a few years ago. He called a California builder. "Look, it'll be two years before I can get started. Three years before I can get you a finished vehicle," Burgett recalls them saying. Another builder said it would take more than a year. "It was almost hard to give my money away."
Burgett didn't want to wait, and he suspected there were a lot of people like him. So while he was on sabbatical after selling Yurbuds, he decided to start his own Bronco business. Gateway Bronco offers something most restomod shops don't—speed. Burgett said Gateway Bronco has a deposit-to-delivery time of approximately six months.
Three basic trim levels are available: the "entry-level" Fuelie starts at $150,000, the Coyote Edition adds another $100,000, and the top-spec, supercharged Modern Day Warrior rings in at $350,000. Burgett was kind enough to bring a Coyote Edition to the R&T office in New York City for a morning spin.
Each Gateway Bronco gets power from a Ford 5.0-liter Coyote V-8, like the one you can get in a brand-new Mustang, with either a six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic transmission. Power outputs range from 460 hp to the 700-hp supercharged example Burgett brought out to Road & Track. Thankfully, Gateway also fits these Broncos with Wilwood disc brakes, which are very much appreciated.
The genius of this drivetrain isn't the sheer power, but the usability. Don't let the classic American V-8 lope throw you—this is a thoroughly modern drivetrain that works just as it would in a Mustang. It feels incredibly muscular, too, though I have to admit that I didn't beat on the thing during my time behind the wheel. There's so much grunt, you never need to wring it out.
