Darn it, Jay gets to have all the fun.
First the funny man was gifted a 1968 Ford Bronco on the eve of his last taping of the “Tonight Show” back in 2014 from fellow television host Craig Ferguson, and now he’s had the iconic off-roader fully restored. Oh, it’s also received an engine swap from the 760-horsepower Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
Leno’s restored Bronco was unveiled on Tuesday at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The project was a collaborative effort split between noted Bronco licensee Kincer Chassis, Dennis Carpenter Ford Restorations, and LGE-CTS Motorsports. The latter handled most of the restoration, including reviving the body with new sheet metal, custom body mods, paint, and final assembly.
The restoration work started with Kincer Chassis rebuilding the chassis and installing the Shelby GT500’s 5.2-liter supercharged V-8, which in this application is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and a heavy-duty 4-wheel-drive system. The V-8 was also enhanced with numerous custom items including its airbox, radiator and supercharger coolers, and exhaust system. You’ll also notice the supercharger housing now sports Ford’s bucking bronco logo instead of Shelby’s cobra snake.
For the chassis, there are Kincer Chassis Adventure Series coil-overs, Fox 2.0 factory race series shocks, Wilwood disc brakes, Carolina Driveline driveshafts, and Dutchman Motorsports axle shafts. The wheels are 18-inch steel pieces from Detroit Steel Wheels, which were wrapped in off-road tires from BFGoodrich.
For the parts you can see, the team decided to keep things looking original, mostly. The biggest tweak to the exterior is the 3D-printed grille insert up front, while inside you’ll find Dakota Digital gauges, delicious Eagle Ottawa genuine leather trim, and a Sony audio system.
Jay Leno’s 1968 Ford Bronco restored by LGE-CTS Motorsports
“The Bronco was bought to use on the farm or to take your date to the prom and was comfortable in any of these environments,” Leno said. “The idea of having a classic Bronco upgraded with modern handling, performance and braking really makes it the best of both worlds.”
Given his praise of the Bronco, don’t be surprised if Ford’s modern Bronco ends up Leno’s famous garage in the not too distant future.
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