Wider, Better & Cooler: This Trail-Ready Two-Door Takes the Ford Bronco to the Next Level
In terms of modern vehicles, few have nailed their mission as well as the Ford Bronco. And even with the massive hype around the retro-inspired 4x4 and the infamous production issues and delays, the Bronco has managed to live up to the hype.
The Hype is Real
And that hype wasn’t just around the Bronco’s stock capabilities or its cool styling. The Bronco was also promised to be a blank canvas of sorts - one that you could drive and enjoy while upgrading and customizing to your heart’s content. It’s delivered on that promise as well. And now that Bronco has been on the market has been on the market for a few years aftermarket options are abundant, as are examples of enthusiast-owned Broncos customized for both function and form.
That all brings us to Nitto Pit Crew member Austin Berendes, who has owned his 2021 two-door Bronco for nearly two years now. And in that time he’s gradually transformed it from a showroom stock machine into a SEMA-grade, trail-proven weekend warrior.
Austin says he didn’t have a specific modification plan when he started. Like so many project vehicles, the upgrades started with the simple bolt-on stuff. But he soon found himself getting more ambitious and creating the truck you see here.
This Calls for Trail Grapplers
One upgrade that Austin did know he wanted to do right away was Nitto Trail Grappler Mud Terrain tire. Having previously run a set of Trail Grapplers on his heavily modified Jeep Wrangler, this would be the first upgrade to his Bronco.
And the 37/12.5R17 Trail Grapplers have remained one of the centerpieces of the build, now mounted on a set of 17”x9" Archetype Racing Sequoia beadlock wheels.
Lots of attention was given to the chassis and suspension, and the Bronco now rocks a Wicked Creations 3.5” long travel kit with Icon remote reservoir coilovers and Eibach springs.
The beefy Trail Grapplers and trick wheels are just one part of an exterior overhaul that now includes a ram air hood and a set of 8” wide fenders from Advanced Fiberglass concepts, and they radically change the lines of the Bronco.
Other big changes on the outside include Baja Forged front and rear bumpers, an SX-10 winch, and a full catalog’s worth of lighting from Project X Off-Road.
Wherever the Road (or Trail) Takes You
Inside, the rear seat has been deleted with an American Adventure Lab kit, and the rear cargo area is now home to a Blizzard Box fridge and Roam cargo box - both of which get lots of use on off-road adventures across Southern California.
Up front are a set of PRP seats, and Austin has also fully upgraded the stereo to provide an additional high-quality soundtrack alongside the note of the Bronco’s EcoBoost V6.
Finally, both the interior and exterior are set off with some choice parts from Archetype Racing, including a carbon fiber steering wheel, D grab handle, and exterior badging.
The result of all this work is a Bronco that can absolutely get after it on the trails, handle the daily commute, and look awesome while doing it. It's hard to ask for much more than that.
So what’s next for the rig? Right now, no one is quite sure. But given what we’ve seen so far, we expect Austin to keep pushing the limits of the excellent canvas that Ford has given us with the new Bronco.
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