California company out to electrify classic car world
The Bronco is back and not just in dealer showrooms. While it's true Ford is having its rugged off-roader return for the 2020 model year, a southern California-based company is updating classic versions to be just as at home in the modern age.
ZeroLabs Automotive says it is taking 1960s versions of the truck and restoring them to be 100% electric. Using a 70 kWh battery and BorgWarner motor, the company is claiming a range of 190 miles. The setup can use a Level 2 charger, but no time is given for how long it'll take to get the battery fully charged.
That 440 horsepower motor will be paired to a five-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drive. There's also a two-speed transfer case.
The revamped boxy brute's foundation will be a new chassis with a custom-engineered, four link suspension with adjustable Fox coilover shocks. Behind each wheel will be Brembo disc brakes with six-piston calipers. Over 1,000 newly designed parts are slated to be incorporated into the old Broncos, including aluminum parts and custom nickel-plated bright work. There's also supposed to be carbon fiber body panels.
As of now, the iconic branding on the vehicle will remain Ford and Bronco but that may change, given the extensive changes ZeroLabs is making. Talks between the two companies are supposedly underway to hammer out details.
Inside, customers can opt for either handmade walnut or bamboo panels, complementing hand-stitched leather or “vegan” interior coverings. Readouts will be presented through an all-digital gauge display.
Only 150 of these “first edition premium” Broncos will be available with deliveries estimated to take plate in late 2020. Final pricing will be announced later this year but the company is projecting the cost per vehicle to be around $300,000.
To get things started, customers do need to source a donor vehicle. ZeroLabs plans to restore and electrify other classic vehicles, also, but hasn't announced which one will be updated next.
Dodge Stars and Stripes Edition
Dodge is celebrating the men and women who serve our country, releasing a new military-inspired Stars and Stripes Edition for its 2019 Charger and Challenger models.
Select versions of the two performance-oriented models can be enhanced with such exterior touches as a Satin Black and Silver center stripe, Satin Black American flag fender decals, 20-inch mid-gloss black wheels and bronze-colored Brembo brake calipers. All of the badging has been blacked out, too.
Inside the cabin, there will be Gloss Black accents and black-on-black cloth seats, highlighted with an embroidered bronze star. There's also a brushed finish on the interior bezels, an Antique Bronze instrument panel badge and bronze stitching.
The package will cost $1,995 (on top of the vehicle's price) and can be ordered starting this month. According to mTAB, a global marketing research firm, Dodge has the highest percentage of active military buyers in the industry, boosted by the popularity of both Challenger and Charger with military personnel.
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