First Drive: This 760 HP Beast From Gateway Bronco and Shelby American Is Wildly Manageable.

The latest creation from Gateway Bronco marks a major milestone for the Illinois-based restomod firm. And not just because of the exposed carbon-fiber body, the custom independent front-suspension chassis, or even the 760 hp supercharged V-8 under the hood. More importantly, this Gateway build bears Carroll Shelby’s signature on a dash plaque affixed to the glovebox. 

That’s because this first prototype was built in partnership with Shelby American, and Gateway will technically refer to the Bronco as the Shelby Sport SUV. Receiving Shelby’s official approval was no small feat, as we learned while driving the prototype on a misty day in Southern California. Simply shoehorning such a powerful Ford “Predator” engine into a vintage truck seems like it would be downright dangerous—instead, drivability quickly became the name of the game. 

In city traffic, the Shelby Sport SUV demonstrates a refined level of throttle control to rein in the prodigious output, while the independent front suspension contributes to predictable, confident steering. But once the road starts winding, the suspension allows just a hint of body roll before settling into tighter corners than any 4×4 wearing 33-inch tires should be able to manage—even far surpassing Gateway’s already impressive Luxe-GT that we drove last year at Monterey Car Week. From the passenger seat, Gateway Bronco founder Seth Burgett told us that this specific project took eight years of development before Shelby signed off on it.

“We had to produce a vehicle that was so beyond what had ever been done before,” Burgett said. “To get it approved as a Shelby Sport SUV, it had to truly be a world-class vehicle . . . we closed the deal finally in April of this year.”

As a proof of concept, the Shelby Sport SUV needed to live up to the Carroll Shelby name. A motorsport-derived Tremec five-speed manual provides classic driver engagement, but can also handle the abundant torque of the engine—even full-time all-wheel drive can’t prevent the power plant from chirping all four tires while hustling through the first couple of gears. By contrast, Gateway also installs ABS brakes and traction-control programming to prevent enthusiasm from turning into regret. In fact, Burgett bragged that the truck can come to a stop from 60 mph in just 148 feet, despite the 33-inch BFGoodrich K02 all-terrain tires.

Ripping from second to third, then fourth—using the pistol grip–style shifter—brought to mind vintage Broncos racing through the desert. And the clutch-pedal weight perfectly communicates the friction zone while feeding in so much power. That’s not to mention the stunning bi-modal exhaust note, which starts as a deep grumble then swells into a growing cacophony higher up into the tachometer. 

Of course, Gateway will spec a tamer exhaust system to keep neighbors happy, as well as provide a ten-speed automatic transmission or a non-supercharged 5.0-liter Coyote V-8. But we’d argue that, to an extent, doing so loses some of the Shelby pioneering spirit. That Shelby connection ties into Burgett’s personal life, too. He pilots an authentic GT350 in vintage racing, and also owns the very first Ford Bronco ever produced—which Carroll Shelby himself owned previously. Yet this Shelby Sport SUV bears little relation to those classics, despite technically bearing a 1966 model-year designation.

The panel gaps of the fully carbon-fiber body, finished with a glossy Highland Green weave plus raw carbon for the race stripes, all scream modern production methods. A new partnership with Recaro delivered the bucket seats, here finished with Pepita Houndstooth inserts inspired by the Porsche 911 R. Porsche-leather upholstery, draped over the rest of the interior, contrasts starkly with the futuristic carbon inlays, especially in the billet shift lever.

“For the design aesthetic, we were going after the GT3 of sport SUVs,” Burgett says. “That was really the theme behind it. We could have built a Baja racer and have a custom tubular frame and put a V-8 in it. But that’s not sellable to the community of Shelby owners . . . we really aim to be the best sport SUV, period. Not vintage, not new, but period.”

The Recaro seats snug driver and passengers into place, a critical consideration given the speeds this Bronco can reach so quickly. Of course, that kind of performance in a 4×4 dictates some tradeoffs. The carbon buckets don’t recline much and are mounted high enough in the cabin that the top of the windshield frame will block a straight line of sight for taller drivers. And in order to prevent too much squat and nosedive during hard acceleration and braking, Gateway needed to use stiff springs that result in a rougher ride over torn-up roads—softer springs might be more comfortable, but less confidence-inspiring. We also wished for additional supercharger whine, one of the greatest aspects of modern Hellcat engines that Fords typically neglect in favor of the amped-up exhaust soundtrack.

Regardless, the Shelby Sport SUV certainly turns heads, even when parked next to supercars. Burgett spent much of our morning together explaining to onlookers exactly what they were looking at: some noticed the carbon-fiber bodywork, some passed a hand over the curly maple wood in the bed, others climbed into the Recaros to twist every last switch and knob, each finished in metal with no cheap plastics in sight.

Gateway and Shelby plan to build only 10 examples per year, with pricing that starts at $315,000 for a Bronco equipped with the Coyote V-8 and standard body panels. Fully optioning the carbon fiber and custom upholstery can quickly raise that sticker nearer to $800,000. For peace of mind, the Shelby Sport SUV also comes with a 10-year bumper-to-bumper warranty that Burgett dubbed the “flying doctor” service, and it’s worth noting that Gateway will build the trucks in a right-hand-drive configuration for international customers, too. Each will bear a Gateway Bronco serial number and be entered into the official Shelby Registry, making them part and parcel of Carroll Shelby’s ever-expanding legacy in the automotive industry.

Click here for more photos of Gateway Bronco’s Shelby Sport SUV.