Ford Bronco Frostwarden SEMA Build Pairs 1,200-HP Megazilla 2.0 With 42-Inch Tires

Ford’s Bronco Frostwarden puts the focus on a question that matters to builders more than to showroom shoppers: what can its new Megazilla 2.0 crate engine do in a vehicle built around it? The answer on paper is striking—1,200 horsepower and more than 1,000 lb-ft of torque on race fuel—while the Bronco itself remains a one-off show build rather than a model buyers can order.

A crate engine at the center of the build

Ford developed the Frostwarden with Louisville, Tennessee-based Kincer Chassis as an Arctic search-and-rescue-themed Bronco. The project took shape over the summer and into the fall, with the Megazilla 2.0 as its organizing idea. That makes the vehicle a demonstration of what the engine might support in a custom build, rather than a preview of a production Bronco variant.

Megazilla 2.0 starts with Ford’s 7.3-liter V8, an engine used in the company’s trucks and already offered in its crate-engine lineup. For this version, Ford adds a bespoke camshaft to the original Megazilla package, along with upgraded pistons, larger fuel injectors and a different belt drive. A 3.0-liter Gen 6 Whipple supercharger supplies the forced induction behind the headline output.

The figures come with a clear qualification: Ford cites 1,200 hp and more than 1,000 lb-ft when the engine runs on race fuel. Those numbers describe the crate engine’s stated output, not a tested result for the completed Bronco. The source doesn’t provide vehicle weight, acceleration, gearing, fuel consumption or trail performance, so there’s no basis for translating the engine rating into a road or off-road performance claim.

Big tires shape the rest of the package

The Frostwarden’s hardware extends well beyond the engine bay. It rides on 18-inch Weld beadlock wheels and 42-inch BFGoodrich tires. 74Weld portal gear lifts help accommodate the tire package, and the build has a wider track than the Bronco Raptor.

That combination makes the project’s priorities plain: it’s a showpiece built around extreme power and oversized tires. Portal lifts and a broader track are part of the physical solution for a vehicle with this tire size, while the beadlock wheels suit the build’s off-road theme. But Ford gives no details on suspension tuning, axle specifications, ground clearance or how the changes affect handling. The hardware list tells us what’s fitted; it doesn’t establish how the Bronco performs in actual terrain.

For buyers comparing factory Broncos, the Raptor offers the useful reference point in the source: Ford says the Frostwarden’s track is wider. The engine output also sits far beyond the comparison the article makes, at more than the power of two Bronco Raptors. That helps convey the scale of the concept, though it doesn’t turn the Frostwarden into a direct Raptor alternative. It isn’t available to purchase, and the source gives no production plans.

Price and availability remain open questions

The engine’s commercial details are still unsettled. Ford hasn’t stated when Megazilla 2.0 will be available or what it will cost. The existing Megazilla 1.0 crate engine is listed at about $25,295, providing a reference point; the source expects the newer, more powerful version to cost substantially more, but that is an estimate rather than a confirmed price.

That distinction matters for anyone considering a build. An engine’s advertised price is only one part of a conversion, and this article supplies no figures for installation, supporting components or fabrication. The Frostwarden’s bespoke chassis work, supercharger, fuel system and tire package illustrate how much more can sit around a crate engine, without establishing a typical finished-build budget.

For now, the most useful takeaway is the split between the concept and the engine. The Bronco Frostwarden shows Ford’s idea of a platform for Megazilla 2.0, while the crate engine is the part builders may eventually be able to buy. Its timing, final specifications and price will determine whether the 1,200-hp headline becomes a practical starting point for custom projects or remains chiefly a show-floor statement.