The Ford Bronco, an early pioneer of the SUV
frontier. The iconic, simple lines impart a sense of refined ruggedness. At home both on
the range and rodeo, drive the Bronco truly is a legend. A legend set to make a stunning return
after riding off into the sunset decades ago. Bronco's development began in the early 1960s. The
idea was to create a competitor to jeep's popular CJ5 and the International Harvester Scout. It
would be ford's first utility vehicle since the GPW produced for the U.S. government back in
the 40s. Styling would fall somewhere between the simple ruggedness of the CJ5 and the more refined
Scout. Bronco was conceived by ford's product manager Donald Frey who also initiated development
of Broncos forthcoming stablemate, the Mustang. Bronco production was approved in February
of 1964 by Lee Iacocca. These early styling exercises revealed that several body variations
were planned from the start, including a sporty door-less roadster variant. This was intended
to help Bronco appeal to a wide audience. From basic ranch roaming, to a night out on the
town, the Bronco offered something for everyone. The chassis was unique to Bronco and featured four
wheel drive, a shift on the fly transfer case and locking hubs as standard equipment. A heavy duty
suspension was optional as were air springs. Interior stalling was minimalist yet stylish.
As was typical of the time, most surfaces were painted metal and the entire interior could
be easily cleaned out with the water hose. Various styling and body configuration
design studies would continue through 1964 and 1965 until right before
introduction for the 1966 model year. Ford was on a mission to get the Bronco
to market as quickly as possible. Chassis refinements were continuous
right up until production. Ford's marketing team would work hard to
establish the Bronco as the new authority in the early days of the SUV frontier. Ford
offered many ways to personalize Bronco. Though standard features were kept to a minimum,
a diverse array of options were available such as rear bench seats a tachometer and a CB radio.
The old west was featured prominently in the pop culture of the 60's and served as a great
distraction to the harsh realities of the era. The connection to the frontier
aesthetic proved popular and it wasn't long before Broncos were a
familiar site both on and off American roads. Though just like today, while some
Broncos did roam the countryside, most served the far less glamorous role as
the family grocery hauler. Regardless of how the Bronco was actually put to work, no one
could deny the adventurous spirit it exhibited. Early Broncos would continue to gain
both standard and optional features. The available three body styles were officially
branded as Sports Utility, Roadster and Wagon. At launch, Bronco featured a Falcon
derived 170 cubic inch inline six which was modified for better off-road
performance. Sales literature drove home the point that Bronco was both rugged and versatile.
The roadster body style offered open-air fun, while the sports utility model served as
sort of a mini pickup and the wagon could truly serve as a family hauler when it was
equipped with the optional rear bench seat. The standard front bench seats could be
replaced with optional sporty buckets. Every model featured a high ground clearance and
solid axles front and rear to get the job done. Special models were commissioned for military
use and police configurations were also on offer. Accommodations for special
configurations such as snow plowing and towing were baked into the chassis. As more competition arrived, Ford
would begin developing and displaying future concepts in an effort to
keep Bronco excitement alive. As the 60's turned psychedelic, Bronco
continued to appeal to the urban cowboy. Racing also became a major theme in the efforts
to market Bronco as something more than a simple horse replacement. Broncos participated in major
off road events such as the Baja 500 and 1000. Ford figured that if the concept of race on Sunday
sell on Monday worked for cars, why not Bronco? Performance was enhanced with the introduction
of an optional 289 cubic inch V8 featuring 200 horsepower. The extra power and continued
refinements were welcomed by off-road racers and also helped make the Bronco more
competitive with the newer competition. Bronco gained a sport option package in 1967
for the wagon model which featured wheel covers, more bright trim and red grill accents. As the
1970s neared, there were few changes. The simple, upright styling and short wheelbase however were
starting to age when compared to models from GM, Jeep and others. To help fend off the circling
wagons, the 289 V8 was expanded to 302 cubic inches and beefier wheels and tires were on
offer. Modest detail changes were also made in an attempt to keep the basic aesthetic fresh.
Bronco continued to be customized for racing, though looming EPA and fuel crisis factors
would soon put that out to pasture. As with cars, luxury would
attempt to replace raw horsepower. Interiors would receive increasingly
more refined trim and detailing. Exteriors were slower to evolve but
exteriors remained ruggedly handsome. Automatic transmissions and power steering
would eventually arrive by the mid 70s and helped further the push towards luxury. But
it was clear change would soon be necessary, and the competition from both inside
Ford and rival companies had moved on. The old west aesthetic that had served Bronco
so well was now hastening its ride off into the sunset. Ford realized this and would quickly
start signing off on plans to explore development of a new generation. While some were
excited at the idea of a brand new Bronco, others were angry at the prospect of change. As is always the case when re-envisioning
an icon, you just can't make everyone happy. Bronco was now nearing a decade on the
market with little change. Ford's marketing department continued to detail the virtues of
Bronco's unique ruggedness and versatility. An effort was made to appeal to the youth
market as well, but this met with limited success. Ford's archrival GM was luring away its
former cowboys in droves as blazer promised new frontiers in luxury and refinement. It was
clear Ford had to do something... and soon. Help would arrive in the form of
a talented young ford designer, Richard Nesbitt. These original sketches
were graciously provided by Mr. Nesbitt and they illustrate variations on an overall theme
that featured Ford pickup bodywork to reduce cost. Special focus was given to the b-pillar
area to ensure a harmonious flow from Ford's front-end pickup styling to the rear
of the vehicle. Luxury styling trends of the time are especially evident in the proposed
opera window treatment in this rendering. Like stablemate Mustang, Bronco would evolve to
survive. Technology was not yet advanced enough to greatly improve economy in full-size pickups
so a focus was made on keeping sales prices low by incorporating body work
from the Ford family of trucks. This design proposal actually featured
bodywork more reminiscent of the Econoline van rather than the pickup. It's an interesting
glimpse at what could have been. Over the next couple of years, the
pieces were slowly put into place and a clearer vision of the second
generation Bronco would emerge. Among these Bronco prototypes, another design by
Richard Nesbitt makes a cameo appearance here, the Carousel minivan... an idea that would
eventually evolve into Aerostar. Because the second generation Bronco was actually based on
a pickup design that was nearing the end of its life, plans were already underway for the next
Bronco before the second generation was even on sale. Taking into consideration this is a sketch
from way back in 1976, it's interesting to see glimpses of future Broncos... and maybe even
a little Ford Explorer in the design language. The second generation Bronco finally arrived for
1978 after a four-year delay caused by the energy crisis. The added size and refinement finally
made Bronco more competitive with the K5 blazer, Ram Charger and Cherokee. The chassis was now
shared with a shortened version of the f-100. 4x4 remained standard, as did solid axles front
and rear with coil springs up front and leaf suspension in the rear. Paint and trim detailing
ranged from the basic work truck aesthetic, to a youthful array of bright colors and designs that
were popular during the period of the late 70's. Trim levels included Custom, as the base
model and Ranger XLT as the upper end offering which introduced rectangular
headlights as standard equipment. Engine choices consisted of two V8s, the 351m and
the 400. Both produced horsepower in the mid 150s but the 400 generated slightly more torque. By
1979, the second generation Bronco was already nearing the end of its run with the forthcoming
introduction of an all-new ford pickup. Changes were few, but air conditioning, a
radio and tilt steering were now on offer as were increasingly colorful appearance
treatments. Rectangular headlamps were also now standard rather than optional. As the 80's
approached, Ford would display radical concepts and possibilities for the third generation Bronco.
The reality would be much more down to earth however as ford continued to struggle financially.
As with the second generation, this new generation Bronco would share much of its sheet metal
and underpinnings with its pickup stablemates. As energy concerns continued to come and go,
efforts were made to reduce weight while retaining the full size dimensions. The solid front axle was
finally replaced with Ford's Twin Traction Beam independent setup. In the rear, there were
still leaf springs and a nine inch axle. The front end of the 1980 Bronco shared
the rugged good looks of the 7th generation f-150 pickup. Trim levels now consisted of Bronco,
Bronco XL and the top-of-the-line Bronco XLT. Even the base model Bronco was now
civilized and well equipped compared to its spartan predecessors. Colorful
paintwork and many factory accessories and options meant that it was rare to see
identically equipped Broncos in the wild. The rear window design was unchanged and
conveniently lowered into the tailgate. New wheel designs and other details
would be introduced over time as would trim options such as the
blacked out grille seen on these examples. From rich wood-toned luxury,
to wall-to-wall vinyl, interiors continue to offer
something for everyone. An expanded number of color options was also
on offer for the removable fiberglass cap. As the 80s progressed, Bronco
would see few major changes. The name of the game was
simple necessary refinement. Chassis refinements would focus on remaining
rugged yet more car like. Engine choices for this era included the 300 straight 6, the
302 v8 and both the 351M and Windsor V8s. A new top of the range model
christened Eddie Bauer debuted for 1985 and featured special wood tone accents
and exterior paint and trim detailing. The Ranger-based Bronco II
was now on offer as well and it was intended to appeal to those
requiring less space and more economy. The Bronco II featured similar suspension and
interior design concepts to its bigger brother. The fourth generation Bronco debuted for
1987 and featured new front end styling as well as more rounded wheel
openings. Engine choices were similar as before but push-button 4-wheel
drive was available for the first time. A new Mazda sourced 5-speed manual
transmission replaced the previous 4-speed. The C6 3-speed auto was phased out in favor
of two new 4-speed options. By the late 80's the short-lived Bronco II would book a hasty
retreat and evolve into the Ford Explorer Sport. By the late 90's, Broncos future was once again
uncertain. As before, wild concepts would emerge but the fifth generation Bronco would arrive
with a far more conventional aesthetic. Ford continued to retrofit the aging steed with safety
feature such as crumple zones and airbags but the fundamental design dated all the way back to 1977,
and like the beloved Country Squire station wagons of yore, it it was becoming clear this faithful
workhorse was also nearing its end of service. Efforts were made to save it, but in the end it
was time for Bronco to say goodbye.... for now.
