Say hello to Megazilla 2.0. No, that’s not the Bronco you see here, but Ford’s latest 7.3-liter V8 – the most powerful OEM crate engine you can buy – under the hood. The Bronco is called Frostwarden, built to show off that engine, and it’s quite a Bronco unto itself.
Consider it a halo of halos that might make Ford the winner at this year’s SEMA event.
Most Powerful Automaker Crate Engine . . . In The World
Ford Frostwarden Bronco MegazillaFord
Megazilla 2.0. It’s the second generation of Ford’s 7.3-liter crate engine, based on the Godzilla 7.3 found in Super Duty pickups, but it’s not just the old engine with a supercharger. Instead, Ford Racing has developed something new with a stronger block to handle the boost of the 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger.
It has a supercharger-specific camshaft, new pistons, bigger fuel injectors, and even a new belt drive. The result is more than 1,200 horsepower and over 1,000 pound feet of torque. It’s enough to make Mopar’s 426 Hellephant look like a slug, and the Chevrolet 632 seem more like a 236.
Ford wants to sell this engine to people looking to upgrade their own rides. From classic Mustangs to modern pickups, everything is better with a 1,200-hp big-block under the hood. But to sell you that idea, it created the most bucking Bronco of all time.
What Other Upgrades Make This Bronco Special?
It’s called Frostwarden because Ford’s team started with the idea of building a Bronco search and rescue rig for the Arctic. That led to 42-inch BFGoodrich tires to help it sit up on even the deepest snow, turned by 74Weld portal axles to add ground clearance and multiply torque. There are stronger Dana 60 axles in place of the factory 50s, and it rides on custom remote-reservoir coilovers from Bilstein.
Not only has Ford finally made a modern V8 Bronco, it has made one that could take the 392 Wrangler, chew it up, and spit it out. Within moments, we’d completely forgotten Jeep’s just-revealed Scrambler concept, because the Frostwarden has iced it out at the show.
The build was a big challenge. Ford’s team started work in February, but it really didn’t get going until June. The finished engine went straight from Ford’s dyno to the shop where the Bronco was being built. In true TV-ready SEMA build fashion, the completed project didn’t arrive until October, making it a very last-minute affair. That might explain the image set Ford has published.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The Megazilla 2.0 should be a screamer thanks to that supercharger, and it won’t take long for tuners to take it well beyond that 1,200 hp factory figure. Factory-supported restomods and custom projects are growing in popularity, and while we hesitate to call a 1,200-hp engine plug-and-play, there’s something to be said for the convenience of having this much power arrive at your doorstep, ready to go.
We’re also hyped to see a V8 Bronco. It’s just too bad that this is a crate engine concept, and so there’s no way Ford could build anything like it. A real V8 Bronco Raptor R would be far more compelling than the underwhelming twin-turbo V6.
