Ford’s Frostwarden Bronco Is a One-Off Rescue Vehicle with 1200 HP

• Ford’s new Megazilla 2.0 crate engine is revealed with an extreme search-and-rescue Bronco build at SEMA 2026.
• The crate engine is a supercharged 7.3-liter V-8 that can make over 1200 horsepower and 1000 pound-feet of torque.
• The one-off Frostwarden Bronco rides on 42-inch-tall tires and wears a special black-and-yellow livery adorned with snow rescue equipment.

A base Ford Bronco makes 300 horsepower. Opt for the V-6 option, and it’ll add 30 horses; if that’s not enough, the Bronco Raptor reaches 418. Not there yet? Try doubling the Raptor’s output and adding a few hundred more horsepower. Enter the Megazilla 2.0.

Ford

Ford’s most powerful crate engine ever is now on display for the first time at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Megazilla 2.0, which builds off the 7.3-liter V-8 crate engine lineup, uses a stronger block, upgraded pistons, larger fuel injectors, a different belt drive and damper, and a supercharger-specific camshaft to keep up with a 3.0-liter Gen 6 Whipple supercharger. All of that combines to make over 1200 horsepower and over 1000 pound-feet of torque.

Ford

Ford

To show off the engine’s massive output, Ford developed the Frostwarden: a search-and-rescue-inspired Bronco taken to extremes. The outfitted Bronco is lifted with a 74Weld portal lift kit and wears 42-inch-tall BFGoodrich tires mounted on custom 18-inch Weld beadlock wheels. Dana driveline hardware and custom Bilstein dampers round out the undercarriage upgrades.

Ford

The Frostwarden’s black-and-yellow livery, ultra-wide stance, and plethora of rescue tools—including off-road lights, a rear-mounted external gas tank, roof-mounted spare tire, and bright yellow front tow winch—make the Bronco hard to miss, even among the ranks of modded SEMA show cars. Inside, yellow-and-black upholstery lines the cabin and a special Megazilla wordmark rests along the bottom of the steering wheel.

Ford

The Frostwarden is a one-of-a-kind build, but the 7.3-liter supercharged V-8 that powers it isn’t. Ford says the one-off vehicle highlights the ability to launch extreme builds based around Ford-powered engines, including the massive Megazilla 2.0.

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Alayna Wilkening grew up reading motorsport magazines and following her grandpa around his Chevrolet dealership’s showroom floor. In true Hoosier fashion, her first car was a hot pink custom cardboard “Fiero-vette” for her kindergarten Kindy 500 race. She now autocrosses a 1994 Miata with her dad, which she learned to drive the night before her first event. Alayna went to Indiana University and graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in graphic design. As a testament to her great taste in cars, her first real one was a metallic orange 2007 Chevy HHR, which she lovingly called “The Dumptruck.”  

Source: www.caranddriver.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.