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In a world full of remakes and revivals of everything from cars to movies, and all of them of widely varied quality, it's a bit of a miracle that the 2021 Ford Bronco has been so universally acclaimed. And seeing this custom 1978 Ford Bronco has reminded us that things could have gone very, very differently.

It's not an official Ford design. But it fuses modern Ford pickup truck parts with a body from the first full-size-based Bronco SUV. The nose is from a Super Duty, and the taillights are from an F-150. But the mixing and blending goes much deeper. The modern truck door handles have been fitted, as have the modern bumpers and mirrors. The interior comes from a King Ranch F-Series as well.

It really looks like Ford could have built it because of how carefully all the parts have been fitted. But it's also believable since it's not uncommon for American automakers to use off-the-shelf parts to cobble together new models. Heck, the old full-size Broncos were basically just shortened F-150s. Most of the Autoblog staff are of the opinion that this look really doesn't work, though, for one reason or another, regardless of the quality of the conversion.

At the very least, it probably is a solid driver. Under the hood is a crate 5.0-liter Coyote engine connected to a six-speed automatic transmission. It still has a two-speed four-wheel-drive transfer case, but power goes to heavy-duty eight-lug solid axles front and rear. Brakes have been upgraded to discs at all four corners. The builders also neatly tucked a winch behind the front bumper, in case you take it just a little too far off road.

If this alternate take on a modern Ford Bronco takes your fancy, it'll be crossing the block at the 2022 Mecum Kissimmee auction that runs January 6-16. The auction house estimates it could sell for between $160,000 and $175,000, or just a bit more than a new Bronco with dealer markup.

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