Photos: Gateway Bronco
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Located in White Hall Illinois, sits Gateway Bronco’s 30,000 square foot warehouse which is basically a Bronco’s enthusiast dream factory. Gateway Bronco takes original paint bran-find Broncos and restores them into modern super-machines. Depending on how big you want to go, Gateway Bronco seems to have all the bases covered for a cool vehicle that will last a lifetime.
The base option for a Gateway Bronco customer is the Fuelie, which is the only Bronco they offer with new paint as well as the old school 427 stroker for the torque fiends. Next in line would be the Survivor, this option gives you Ford’s famed Coyote 302 v-8 as well plenty of patina with the original paint. Lastly, would be the Warrior, the monster of them all gives you everything the Survivor does plus 4-link suspension,custom leather, and a 5-year warranty to go with it. Gateway Bronco was envisioned by American inventor and serial entrepreneur, Seth Burgett. We got the opportunity to ask Seth 5 questions about his awesome company.
1. What made you choose the Bronco as the face of the company?
I’ve always been passionate about classic American cars, and the Ford Bronco is an absolute legend. I’ve been hooked on barn finds since I found my first, a Hudson, at just 9 years old. It’s about taking a piece of American history and bringing it back to life so it can be enjoyed to the fullest once again. The Bronco is unmistakable – it’s powerful, it’s fun and it’s iconic.
2. Broncos are most at home in tough terrain, are these capable off-road vehicles or are they mostly for show?
I’m the type of guy that runs a Shelby as Carroll Shelby intended, redlined, every time I drive it. While Gateway Bronco does our best to maintain the rugged charm that ‘60s and ‘70s Ford Broncos naturally possess, we’re also committed to providing a product that can be used and enjoyed as it was intended to be. Not only are Gateway built Broncos most at home in tough terrain, but the same can be said for Bronco-owners. We love to get these trucks off-road, and our team is able to modernize them with the engine and suspension necessary to ride the back roads of America, logging trails of the deepest forest or go rock crawling on the toughest trails.
3. How much testing gets done before delivery?
Each truck is quality controlled by an experienced technician one final time before I drive and inspect each vehicle. It’s a 50-point check list that gets reviewed before I will consider taking a test drive, then I test it by the numbers. Gateway Bronco uses Six Sigma methods and each truck has to pass proprietary benchmarks of performance for 0-60mph, 0-90mph, 60-100mph and turning G-forces. In addition, we have similar tests to prove the braking systems for G-force and times/distances to stop. Lastly, on my test drive, each truck has to pass proprietary interior noise decibel levels in order to be shipped. Gateway Bronco takes great pride in delivering the highest quality products, and that is backed by our industry-leading, bumper-to-bumper warranty of up to five years. It’s important that our trucks live up to the high expectations of each client. In the end it’s our Quality System based on the fundamentals of Six Sigma that ensures the quality of each truck during production on the assembly line as it is being built, and finally after its ready for my test drive. We engineer our trucks to withstand anything our clients can dish out. For example, after Ford Nationals Weekend, my daughter and I put nearly 5,000 miles on an all original Ford Bronco survivor to witness all the shortcomings that we engineer to fix. From Carlisle to NYC, Walden Pond, Niagara thru Ontario, to Glacier National Park and down the western coast from Seattle to San Diego. We fully understand the limitations and have engineered proprietary solutions to provide trouble free service for our clients.
4. Is there any level of customization in the buying process or are these straight out of the box ready to go?
Gateway Bronco offers three products that a customer can choose from, all to be delivered in two months guaranteed. Depending on the product package, there are various levels of customization available. For example, the Survivor™ is sold with original paint while the Fuelie™ and Warrior™ receive new paint, which the customer selects. The three trucks are also offered with different leather interiors. The customer’s package selection depends on their preference to meet their unique taste and budget. In the end, they are ready to drive anywhere once they are delivered to the customer, customized for each customer’s unique needs. Ready to go straight out of the box.
5. Who would be the ideal customers for the ‘Restomod’, ‘Survivor’, and ‘Warrior’?
Gateway Bronco trucks are built to be taken on the road and enjoyed. The ideal customer is someone that wants the classic good looks of the American icon, a Ford Bronco, with the reliability of a Ford F-150 Raptor combined with the luxury of a Range Rover Sport. Usually, these trucks are used at vacation homes or for someone that wants a third vehicle to tow their family ski boat. The common theme of customers is the desire for reliability and rugged luxury. The RestoMod Fuelie™ 302 and 427 is built for the customer who is price conscious and wants to stay in the $70,000 – $80,000 price range yet keep the reliability of fuel injection and a bumper-to-bumper warranty. The Coyote Edition Survivor™ customer is looking for the patina of 40+ years, owning a one-of-a-kind vehicle that no one else can own and preserved to keep it looking exactly as it is today for years of trouble free service. The Modern Day Warrior™ customer is someone that wants the luxury of a Range Rover but the durability and iconic good looks of the modernized Ford Bronco. Whether used for touring the Adirondacks or cruising Cape Cod on the weekends, we want our customers to feel the same passion and pride about their truck as we do. The Coyote Edition Survivor™ is our specialty and is the perfect fit for those who want to preserve the vintage look and feel of their Bronco, as seen in the original paint, while enjoying modern power, performance, and reliability.
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