Jay Leno got a fixer-upper Bronco as a present. He turned that gag into a GT500-powered restomod that’s on display at SEMA through Nov. 8.
Jay Leno left “The Tonight Show” for the second and final time in February of 2014, ending a 20+ year era of the program. The day before Leno taped his final episode, Craig Ferguson, then-host of “The Late Late Show,” had a 1968 Ford Bronco dropped off in his parking spot as a gag. Leno saw more than humor in the prank. He saw potential.
To turn the Bronco into something more than just a silly memento, Leno called on a team of experts. Bronco licensee Kincer Chassis built the chassis. The coilover suspension features a set of Fox 2.0 racing shocks. SEMA Garage handled the computer-aided design and 3D printing of certain components. Two companies worked on giving the Bronco a new hide. Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts supplied the body panels and the crew at the women-owned shop LGE-CTS Motorsports contributed new sheet metal and custom exterior touches. They also covered Leno’s rig with custom paint in a shade called “Tonight Show Blue” and performed the final assembly of everything.
Leno had his Bronco prepped to be a display at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas so just restoring the engine or putting in a regular crate motor wasn’t going to cut it. He went big. Huge. Kincer Chassis flipped up the hood and stuffed a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 from Ford Performance underneath it. That’s right – Leno’s Bronco has the same engine as the 2020 Shelby GT500. The “Predator” draws in air through a custom airbox and breathes through a custom-fabricated exhaust with Borla mufflers.
Instead of the GT500’s dual-clutch automatic, the engine in Leno’s Bronco is attached to a Tremec five-speed manual gearbox. And since it’s in a legendary off-road vehicle, the Predator V8 also powers a heavy-duty four-wheel drive system. That’s connected to a set of vintage-looking 18″ X 9″ steel wheels inside of 275/65 BFGoodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires.
If you can’t make it to the Las Vegas Convention Center to see Leno’s GT500-powered Bronco, don’t worry – it’s going to be on a future episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage” on CNBC and on his YouTube channel. Stay tuned.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
