History of the Ford Bronco - Archives with Ted Ryan

DEARBORN, Mich., July 6, 2020 – Bronco is back! Ford is introducing an all-new Bronco brand featuring a new family of Built Wild™ SUVs, U.S. off-road driving schools and a unique community for owner and enthusiast engagement.

The all-new Bronco brand includes a Bronco two-door, first-ever Bronco four-door model and all-new rugged, small SUV, the Bronco Sport – and will be the only domestic brand of SUVs with standard 4x4. Ford is revealing the all-new models July 13 at 8:00 p.m. EDT across Disney network channels National Geographic, ESPN and ABC – as the Bronco reservation system opens.

Every Bronco model is engineered to deliver thrilling and confident off-road experiences that build on the original 1966 Bronco DNA and racing heritage, with ingenious new updatable technologies and adventure-ready attributes created with today’s outdoor enthusiasts in mind.

“Bronco gave rise to the fun and versatile off-road SUV in 1966, becoming the first enjoyable sport utility vehicle for those who wanted to live, work and play outdoors,” said Jim Farley, Ford chief operating officer. “Like the original, the all-new Bronco family is engineered to take you to epic places, with capability to deliver confidence on any type of terrain.”

Built Wild

Bronco’s new Built Wild brand positioning comes to life in this short film that offers glimpses of the all-new 2021 Bronco two-door, four-door and Bronco Sport models in the wild.

For the Bronco brand and its all-new Bronco two-door, four door and Sport models to be superior off-road vehicles, all three vehicles deliver on the brand’s three Built Wild principles:

Built Wild Extreme Durability Testing – These elevated Bronco torture tests ensure toughness across thousands of lab, proving ground and real-world extreme challenges in the toughest and harshest climates
Built Wild Capability – Confidence to go over any-type of terrain (G.O.A.T.), provided by standard 4x4 and an exclusive terrain management system, plus unique Bronco-variant architectures with class-leading levels of capability and suspension technology
Built Wild Innovative Design – Broncos are the future of off-roading and deliver off-road ingenuity, new design innovations coupled with heritage-inspired DNA, plus new-levels of personalization that can flatter the novice and challenge the expert adventure seeker
Ford’s off-road SUV expertise traces back to World War II, when the automaker was part of a government competition to build rugged carry-all utilities for GIs in the battlefield. Ford’s entry was called the GP, for General Purpose. More than 270,000 Ford GPs were built for Allied forces. GIs returning home bought Army surplus GPs for work and play, but they were too small and uncomfortable for civilian life, according to Ford research from the early 1960s, so Ford developed a more refined, spacious, yet durable off-road vehicle to meet this need – Bronco.

The original Bronco was nicknamed G.O.A.T. by Donald Frey, the Ford product manager who championed both Mustang and Bronco nameplates and challenged engineering teams to deliver “go anywhere roadability.” As an agile, sports-oriented off-road 4x4, Ford dubbed the original 1966 Bronco “a completely new line of sports-utility vehicles” at its reveal Aug. 11, 1965 – the first reference to “SUVs” from an American manufacturer.

Early Broncos had a rugged body-on-frame design with short front and rear overhangs, high ground clearance and a short wheelbase, for maximum off-road capability. Bronco’s toughness and agility at high-speed enabled off-road racers like Rod Hall and Larry Minor to capture an overall win at the grueling 1969 Baja 1000 – a victory that no other production 4x4 has replicated in 50 years.

Bronco holds a special place in popular culture and has been featured in more than 1,200 films and 200 songs. Since Ford ended production in 1996, Bronco SUVs have continued to grow in popularity with collectors and enthusiasts. With the January 2017 announcement of the return of Ford Bronco, valuations have skyrocketed, according to Barrett-Jackson, with the average first-generation Bronco sale price nearly doubling from $39,763 to $74,820 in just more than three years. Hagerty valuation guide ranks 1966-77 Broncos as among the highest vehicle price increases of all collectible SUVs over the past three years – a 75.8 percent gain.

Beyond that, the Bronco brand continues building its off-road racing legacy as Official Vehicle of King of the Hammers, ULTRA4 Series. Bronco also is the official SUV of SCORE-International – one of many events key for proving out the vehicle’s capability and connecting with Bronco brand influencers.