1973 Bronco Coyote V8 Restomod Hits Bring A Trailer Auction
A 1973 Ford Bronco is sitting on Bring a Trailer right now with nine bids and an $80,000 lead, and it’s packing the exact powertrain combination Ford has never once put in a production Bronco: a Gen-3 5.0L Coyote V8 making 460 hp and 420 lb-ft, bolted to Ford‘s own 10R80 10-speed automatic. Gateway Bronco of Illinois built this one, starting the work in 2024 and finishing it in Brittany Blue over a Kincer Classic Series chassis.
This isn’t a one-off curiosity. It’s the clearest proof yet that the restomod market has already solved the problem Ford won’t touch, and buyers are paying real money for it.
What’s Actually Under This Bronco’s Hood
The build starts with a Kincer Classic Series chassis instead of the stock 1973 frame, paired with Wild Horses springs and Bilstein dampers. Borgeson power steering replaces the original box, and Wilwood discs with hydroboost assistance handle stopping duty that a 1973 Bronco driver could only dream about.
The Gen-3 Coyote feeds through stainless headers and a custom exhaust into the 10R80, then through a push-button dual-range transfer case to a hybrid front axle and a nine-inch rear end. Inside, the old truck gets air conditioning, heated front seats, power windows, a backup camera, Dakota Digital gauges, a Kenwood touchscreen, and keyless entry. The odometer reads about 146 miles since the build wrapped, meaning this truck is essentially brand new underneath a half-century-old body.
Why Ford Won’t Build This Itself
Ford Racing will actually sell you the hardware. A Gen-3 or Gen-4 Coyote paired with the 10R80 power module runs $23,100 directly from Ford, with a Gen-4X version pairing the same transmission to a 460-hp Coyote. But Ford is explicit that these modules are meant for competition or off-highway use, warning that fitting one to a street-driven vehicle can run afoul of emissions law.
That’s the gap restomod shops are filling. Putting a Coyote into a modern production Bronco means solving crash certification, emissions compliance, cooling, weight distribution, and driveline durability all at once, on a platform Ford already tuned around its turbocharged four- and six-cylinder lineup. The current Bronco tops out at 418 hp from the Raptor’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6, and even the upcoming 2027 Bronco RTR sticks with a 300-hp 2.3-liter EcoBoost four. Ford clearly isn’t interested in revisiting a naturally aspirated V8 for the showroom.
Ford has proven it can do the engineering when it wants to, though. The Bronco DR, built with Multimatic as a purpose-built desert racer, ran a Gen-3 Coyote and a 10-speed automatic in a competition chassis with a 65-gallon fuel tank and massive suspension travel. It made more than 400 hp. It was also never close to street legal.
The Coyote Bronco Market Is Heating Up Fast
This Brittany Blue truck isn’t bidding in a vacuum. A 1972 Coyote-swapped Bronco sold for $190,000, a Velocity Restorations 1974 build brought $162,000, and a Highline Classics 1972 truck went for $136,000 just this month. Gateway Bronco itself advertises its Coyote Edition starting at $250,000.
The pipeline keeps feeding. A 1969 Coyote Bronco crosses the block at Mecum’s Dallas/Fort Worth sale on October 24, and a 1966 example from Vintage Broncos, built on a similar Kincer chassis with Wilwood hydroboost brakes, is live right now with bidding near $65,000. Three separate shops, three different trucks, the same engine swap, all selling at once. That’s not a trend anymore. That’s a market Ford created and then walked away from.
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