Don’t Call It a Concept: Ford Shows off Bronco “Project Vehicles” Destined for Moab

Since its inception in 1967, the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah has grown to become one of the largest off-roading events in United States. Off-road vehicles of all kinds are welcome to tackle the rocky 4×4 trails, but as the name suggests, Jeeps are the focus. As such, Jeep has a history of trotting out usually-Wrangler-based concepts and customs at the event. This year, Ford is crashing the party, sort of, by showing off a pair of concept Broncos at a Ford-specific event in Moab called Bronco Stampede.

Although “concept vehicle” might be a bit too strong of a phrase. Brandon Turkus, Ford’s Enthusiast Vehicles Communication Manager, insisted that we call the Bronco pair “Project Vehicles.” What’s a project vehicle? Turkus wouldn’t say, but the customizations aren’t exactly extreme (especially compared to some of this year’s Jeep concepts)—they’re more a showcase of what’s possible if you dig into the Ford Performance and Accessories catalogs. We got a chance to preview the pair of Broncos at the Holly Oaks ORV park (about an hour north of Ford headquarters) ahead of their trip out west.

First up, and the less modified of the duo, is what Ford is calling the Bronco Off-Roadeo: Arches. The four-door Bronco is based on a Badlands model. Ford wrapped the Bronco in a red-bronze color, similar to the rocks at Moab. It also has a graphics package that mimics the Utah landscape and sports accents in Code Orange, an F-150 Raptor color. It rides on 17-inch Method wheels wrapped in 37-inch Desert Racing BFGoodrich Baja tires. Other accessories include Rigid Industries light bar and spotlights, along with a power soft top. Sans the wrap and BFGoodrich tires, all of the parts showcased on the Arches are available through Ford.

The more interesting of the pair was a two-door Bronco Badlands called Off-Roadeo: Cliffhanger. It wears the same wrap color as the Arches, has similar Moab-inspired graphics, is equipped with Rigid lighting and a Warn Winch, and rolls on larger Method wheels shod in BFGoodrich tires—18 and 40 inches, respectively. That’s where the similarities end, as the Cliffhanger has a more extensively modified interior and exterior. The fenders and flares look suspiciously like the ones found on the four-door-only Bronco Raptor, but PR guy Turkus was quick to shut that comparison down. “We are not making a two-door Raptor.” Fair; however, the Fox Live Valve dampers (standard equipment on the Raptor) and Raptor taillights aren’t helping his case. While we weren’t allowed to see what was under the hood, the note coming from the Ford Performance exhaust was more four-cylinder yelp than Raptor V-6 howl. We’ll believe Turkus for now.

The interior of the Cliffhanger was a stripped-down affair. First off, the doors were replaced with Ford Performance tube doors, and the ingress-and-egress grabber handles were swapped out for carbon fiber pieces. In place of the factory six-way adjustable front seats are Recaro Sportster CS seats with Sparco harnesses. In place of the rear seats are, well, nothing—they have been deleted.

Like the Arches, most of the equipment on the Cliffhanger is available in the Ford catalog; however, no official word on whether the sweet wrap and Raptor-like fenders will be available (although Turkus did muse, “I wonder how easy the wider fenders are to install,” as he showed me the five quarter-turn clips that release the factory units). Here’s hoping the Raptor flares will hit the Ford Performance parts counter soon.