This 1973 Ford Bronco Is the Shelby Truck That Carroll Never Built

Ironically enough, the modern Bronco doesn't have a V8 engine to brag about. But even though all previous generations did, they weren't impressively powerful. Not even the first-gen Bronco, which rolled off the assembly line during the golden muscle car era.

While Ford had a 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Cobra Jet good for 335 horsepower and a 429 Boss rated at 375 horses in 1969, the Bronco's 302-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) came with only 205 horses on tap. But high-performance SUVs and trucks weren't a thing back then so it's not surprising that the Bronco didn't get a big-block V8.

But what if Ford had commissioned Carroll Shelby to put together a beefed-up Bronco? Well, it would have been pretty close to the 1973 Bronco you see here, which was recently featured on Hagerty's "The Appraiser" series.

Owned by a member of the Cobra Owners Club of America in Orange County, this Bronco has everything it needs to share the same parking lot with a bunch of classic Shelby Mustangs of the GT350 and GT500 variety. It has stripes and Cobra badges, flared fenders, a scooped hood, and even a few upgrades under the hood.

Granted, it's nowhere near as menacing as a late-1960s Shelby, but it has what it takes to stand out in a crowd of first-generation Broncos. The livery is the first thing that catches the eye because the metallic blue and silver stripes are very close to what Shelby offered on the GT350 back in the day.

The relatively big scoop on the hood is actually more similar to the 1969 Mustang Boss 429 than a first-gen Shelby, but hey, it looks just as cool. Then there's the fender flares, which aren't overly aggressive but widen the SUV just enough to give it a more aggressive stance.

Sure, purists may scoff at the fact that this Bronco had its original fenders cut, but the mod fits the theme. And purist opinions should never dictate how one modifies his classic car anyway.

Moving on into the cabin, the Shelby theme continues with aluminum inserts into the door panels and the trunk, as well as high-back bucket seats with Shelby Cobra emblems. The owner also added removable bucket seats in the rear and gas struts to the tailgate for easier operation.

But is this "Shelbized" Bronco a true Shelby on the performance front? Well, the original 302 V8 is still under the hood and a handful of upgrades make it a bit more powerful, but it's not a GT350 horsepower-wise. It does have a double pumper carburetor from a race engine though, an add-on that should increase oomph beyond the 141-horsepower rating of the 1973 Bronco.

Yup, oomph dropped below 200 horses when those pesky emission regulations hit the U.S. market in the early 1970s.

All told, this Bronco is no Baja race truck, but it's the closest thing to the SUV that Carroll Shelby never built. And that's because it was built by a Shelby guy and owned only by people with a taste for beefed-up Mustangs.

The other cool thing about it is that this truck is not a Concours-style garage queen. It's a full-blown driver that gets a lot of action on the road. And as it turns out, it's quite valuable too. According to The Appraiser, this Bronco is worth $65,000 to $75,000, which is a bit more than an all-original 1973 example in Excellent condition. Don't start looking for your wallet just yet though, this SUV is not for sale.