Custom Ford Bronco "Black ICE" Rejects Electrification, Available To Preorder for $214,000

Who exactly are Kindred Motorworks? It’s a Bay Area-based company that specializes in “Brand New Vintage” iconic rides, and this Bronco happens to be their first limited-edition vehicle.

The reason why it’s called Black ICE is a playful nod not just to the design scheme, but also its release date and its powertrain. Still confused? Well, the exterior is black, and preorders open on Black Friday. Meanwhile, the 5.0-liter Coyote internal combustion engine is just that... an internal combustion engine, aka ICE.

Each unit will be based on the gasoline-powered Bronco Trail Edition, with highlights to include the exclusive “Black Ice” colorway with a full gloss finish, black wood interior trim elements, exclusive Black ICE Edition build plates, black-on-black exterior badging (including the Bronco nameplate grille lettering), plus a set of blacked-out 18-inch Method forged alloy wheels and hubs.

The first three units will reach their owners in Q1 of 2025, with the fourth and fifth vehicles coming in Q2 of that same year. Before we take an even closer look at the specs, I can’t help but feel as though that $214,000 price tag might be a bit too high. Or should I say perfectly acceptable by Bay Area standards, but we all know that region lives within its own “cost of living bubble”.

Also, for that type of "green", you can buy a traditional luxury and/or performance SUV, unless what you really want is something retro-looking. Although in that case, you can always orient yourself towards a G-Wagen, which you can easily buy for less than $200k.

Back to the specs – since this is based on the Bronco Trail edition, you get a front impact bumper with integrated Warn Zeon 10-S winch, a rear bumper with integrated hitch and tire carrier, four-wheel disc brakes, BFGoodrich All-Terrain TA KO2 tires, full LED lighting, Recaro leather bucket seats, a backup camera, power windows, a killer sound system, and more.

“Offering the Bronco Black ICE is a fun way to give our customers something a little different while staying true to our manufacturing approach,” said Kindred Motorworks founder and CEO, Rob Howard. “It’s our first limited edition, and we’re thrilled to get it out there as our own Black Friday special. Given how much we enjoyed developing the package, it certainly won’t be the last special edition that rolls out of our Mare Island facility.”

As far as I’m concerned, being a limited-edition product is the main selling point this Bronco’s got going for it, unless they also offer some type of performance upgrade, which I’m not sure is on the menu. I mean, if it was, they would have brought it up in the press release. Overall, I'd say this is a pretty cool, yet pricey restomod.