FORD BRONCO

Ford’s Bronco is the hottest new vehicle on the planet right now, even though the all-new 2021 version is still many months away from anyone’s garage. That’s a testament to the feelings people have for it, even if they’ve never owned one.

On August 11, 1965, in response to the success Jeep had with its CJ-5 and International with its Scout, Ford announced “a completely new line of sports-utility vehicles.”

The 1966 Bronco initially came with a 170-cubic-inch six-cylinder engine, and later in the year, an optional 289 V8. Three styles were available, starting with the entry-level Roadster. It was $2,404, and for that you got a body, a fold-down windshield, and a bench seat. It cost extra to add doors or a vinyl top, and if you preferred bucket seats, you could get two, or just one.

The Sports Utility, at $2,480, was a mini pickup truck, and came with doors and a removable steel roof; it’s commonly known as a “half-cab.” The Wagon had a full-length removable roof and was $2,625. Ford sold 23,776 copies of the three styles that year.

The Bronco got minor upgrades over the years, such as a dual master cylinder and backup lights in 1967, and standard heater and defroster in 1968. The bare-bones Roadster was gone by 1969, and the Pickup’s days were numbered. For 1973, only the Wagon remained, and on the V8, you could now order power steering and an automatic transmission. But overall, annual changes were so minor that, for 1975 and 1976, the dealer brochures used the same photo on the cover.

The second-generation Bronco debuted for 1978. It now rode on a modified F-100 chassis and shared front-end styling with the full-size trucks. Compared to the 1977 Bronco, it was more than two feet longer and ten inches wider. There was no six-cylinder, just a 351 or 400 V8, and it was the first year the Bronco offered air conditioning.

But that second generation only lasted two years – 1978 and 1979. It had been ready to debut much earlier, but a Middle East oil embargo against the United States in 1973 had spiked fuel prices and tanked the economy. Large, thirsty vehicles just weren’t selling.

So Ford kept the smaller Bronco in production and held back its larger, second-generation replacement as long as it could, even as it worked on a successor to it. The third generation, slimmed down slightly and back to a six-cylinder as its base engine, with an optional 302 V8, arrived for 1980.

The full-size Bronco was unchanged for 1984, but now it had a sidekick, the Bronco II. Aimed at Chevrolet’s S-10 Blazer, the Bronco II was based on the Ranger chassis with a V6 engine. It wasn’t much larger than the first-generation Bronco but a lot more luxurious, especially if you opted for the $13,000 Eddie Bauer Edition.

The Bronco’s fourth generation, introduced for 1987, was a relatively minor makeover. Its V6 and 302 V8 got fuel injection, although the optional high-output 351 V8 still had a carburetor. For 1991, Ford offered a Silver Anniversary edition to mark the Bronco’s 25 ^th year.

It was alone, though, since 1990 had been the Bronco II’s final year. In 1991, it was replaced with the all-new Explorer.

The full-size Bronco lasted one more generation, introduced for 1992. It would be little changed over its lifespan, other than updated with anti-lock brakes, standard driver’s airbag, and for 1996, the industry’s first side mirrors with integrated turn signals. 

When 1997 dawned, the F-150’s chassis now slipped under the all-new Expedition, and the Bronco galloped off into the sunset.

Here are some other interesting tidbits about the Ford Bronco…

- When Ford designed the original Bronco, it surveyed Jeep and International Scout owners to see what complaints they had about their vehicles.

- “Bronco” was the truck’s code name during development, and kept for the final product. The engineering team was told it had to be G.O.A.T., for “Goes Over All Terrain.”

- The most famous Bronco of all time is a white 1993 that led police on a bizarre, low-speed highway chase in California in June 1994. In the rear seat was O.J. Simpson, who’d been accused of murder.

- All Bronco models were two-doors. The 2021 model will be offered that way, but it’s expected the four-door version will outsell it by a considerable margin.

Even before Ford announced a new Bronco, prices for the old ones were on the rise. The first generation is the most coveted. The 1978-1979 second generation is also sought after because of its rarity. The 1980s models are the least-expensive, but that final fifth generation is hot, possibly because of its association with the Simpson chase. Because they shared so much with Ford trucks, it’s relatively easy to get parts to restore a Bronco, but a lot of them are also modified and lifted for off-road driving.

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