Wild one
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Coyote-Powered Carbon-Fiber Bronco Road Drive!
A modern build with a classic look is even more fun than you would expect it to be!Steven RuppWriter, PhotographerOct 29, 2024
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The idea that it’s hard to improve on a classic isn’t really true. Let’s be honest—by modern standards, our classics are lacking in almost every area aside from styling. They don’t handle all that great, the braking is subpar, and the steering is often vague. But, man, they sure do look better than the Tupperware-infused and often uninspired offerings of today. What if you could have the classic look and feel but in a ride stuffed with modern performance, handling, and safety? Hot-rodders have been doing that for years, but there are also companies out there churning out turn-key modern rides based on the classics.
One such company is St. Louis’ Gateway Bronco, with their Bronco-inspired line of SUVs. They offer a wide array of choices, from rebuilt and restomodded vintage Broncos to completely aftermarket, 100-percent-new steel- and carbon-fiber-bodied Broncos riding on a new Kincer Engineering chassis.
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All of these new and rebuilt Broncos are manufactured completely on-site at Gateway’s 60,000-square-foot shop in Hamel, Illinois, about 35 miles outside of St. Louis, Missouri. They do offer ready-to-rock packages, but they can also build you just about any Bronco you could desire. Custom colors, interiors, and amenities are wide-ranging. They can even build you a four-door Bronco or one that’s EV powered, if that’s how you lean.
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For engines, they offer anything from a nearly stock old-school V-8 (Fuelie Edition) to one with a modern supercharged Coyote mill under the hood. We were invited to drive one of their top-of-the-line LUXE-GT editions that was 5.0-liter Coyote-powered with a modern 10-speed automatic, although they do offer manuals for the three-pedal crowd. It’s a Bronco, so it also offers full-time AWD.
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Our LUXE-GT edition had standard modern touches such as full antilock brakes (ABS), and optional items such as soft-close doors, 18-inch sport wheels, backup camera, LED lighting, and a kick-ass audio system.
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The Gateway LUXE-GT rides on a fully independent front suspension mounted to an aftermarket Kincer Engineering chassis that’s over 100-percent stiffer than a factory chassis. The reinforced body is stiffer as well, and this all adds up to give the LUXE-GT Gateway Bronco a “new truck” driving feel, especially when combined with the modern braking, electronic stability control, and electric power steering systems.
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Our LUXE-GT had the marine-grade vinyl flooring option, and we noticed the Dakota Digital gauge package and a Bluetooth/CarPlay audio system. The seats were comfortable, and the interior was a great mix of updated features that still maintained the vintage charm of a classic Bronco. And yeah, that’s a switch for an electric parking brake to the left of the gauge cluster, just like a modern Bronco. The vintage-looking sideview mirrors even had integrated turn signal lights.
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We were rolling the SoCal coast, so our Bronco had a soft shade top, but Gateway does offer quite a few options including fully removable hardtops. In fact, if you navigate their website, you’ll see that they offer quite a few tops and other options.
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How did the Gateway LUXE-GT Bronco Sport Truck drive? To be honest, it drove like a modern SUV, but with more power thanks to the 460-horsepower Coyote mill under the hood. The steering was great and managed to be precise enough to let us enjoy hitting a few curves. The brakes were excellent and made us forget we were rolling in a high-center-of-gravity SUV on big, knobby tires. The ABS system felt transparent, which is exactly the way you want it to feel, and the 10-speed did a great job of keeping the Coyote in its happy place. The full-time AWD did an excellent job on some very rough spots of road, and the truck's handling was amazing considering it’s a lifted Bronco. We found the build quality to be top-notch, and wind buffeting with the soft top was minimal, but we would love to try out the hardtop version someday. Oh, we must give a shout out to the soft-close doors, which have to be tried to be appreciated, and to the way Gateway incorporated the power windows into switches that look like traditional window cranks. It’s these little things that really add up to make a cool car that much cooler.
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They also took a moment to tease us with a drive in their new Shelby Sport SUV. Think of this as the LUXE-GT with performance turned all the way to 11. Powered by a 5.2-liter Predator V-8 with 760 supercharged horsepower and a five-speed manual transmission! They will only be making 10 of these a year, and they were foolish enough to let us drive the carbon-fiber prototype! Look for that driving story soon!
