The 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Special Edition Honors Baja Royalty
While it might not look like it at first glance, the first-generation Ford Bronco has some serious motorsports heritage behind it. Like the GT40 of the same era, the open-top 4x4 proved particularly dominant in the brutal deserts in North America’s southwest. Ford has decided to honor that heritage, as well as the man behind that success, with the all-new 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Special Edition.
Bill Stroppe isn’t necessarily a household name these days, but his impact on the world of motorsports is still present. Stroppe had his hands in everything from hot rods and NASCAR to Le Mans and Pikes Peak racers, but he’s best remembered today for his efforts in the dirt. Stroppe was already an established off-road racer by the time the first Broncos arrived in 1966, which ultimately led Ford to send a coupe his way for competition preparation. The pairing proved to be a legendary one, with Stroppe-prepped Broncos having an immediate and lasting effect on the sport. One such Bronco entered the inaugural NORRA Mexican 1000, better known today as the Baja 1000, but failed to finish.
A year later, a Stroppe Bronco took home a class win in the grueling event. The 1969 iteration of the event saw a Stroppe-prepped stock Bronco take home the overall win, the first and only time a 4x4 has ever managed to do so. The most famous of all of the Stroppe Broncos is the 1969 “Big Oly,” lovingly named for its golden Olympia Beer livery. It’s a proper tube-frame affair, with just enough bodywork to convincingly pull off the Bronco look. The car set the stage for nearly every racing 4x4 that came after it, utterly dominating the course down the peninsula. With Parnelli Jones at the wheel and Stroppe aside him as a navigator, Big Oly took home back-to-back victories at the 1971 and 1972 iterations of the Baja 1000. Its last trip to auction solidified its place among the most valuable 4x4s on the planet, bringing $1.87 million at closing.
In order to celebrate Bill Stroppe’s contribution to the Bronco legacy, Ford has devised a new special edition model. The automaker says the new package slots in where the outgoing Wildtrak model once sat, but will be limited to the two-door body configuration in recognition of the heritage models. Every Stroppe Special Edition will feature the larger 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6, which comes exclusively paired to Ford’s 10-speed automatic. Output remains unchanged at 330 hp and 415 lb-ft with premium fuel. The trucks will also include Sasquatch package hardware, such as the Stabilizer Bar Disconnect system, Ford’s High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension 3.0, and 35-inch Goodyear Territory RT tires wrapped around 17-inch beadlock capable wheels.
The color scheme pays homage to the original Stroppe Baja Broncos, which were available from Ford Dealers in the early Seventies. The bodywork features a Code Orange base, marking the first time the color has been used outside of the Raptor product line. An Oxford White upper provides some two-tone contrast, while an Atlas Blue painted hardtop mirrors the original Stroppe colorway. Customers will even get a matte black finished hood, a functional element when combatting desert glare.
Other design highlights include high clearance fenders in body color, “Stroppe Special” badging, Code Orange accents including the grille script and tow hooks, and a bespoke matte black tailgate.
“Bill Stroppe not only established Bronco’s competition legacy at events like the Baja 1000 and NORRA Mexican 1000, but Stroppe Baja Broncos put his off-road knowhow on the road and helped establish Bronco with consumers,” Ford Archivist Ted Ryan said. “Today’s Bronco, with the G.O.A.T Modes and Sasquatch package, can trace its existence back to Bill Stroppe’s work.”
Ford has yet to share official pricing for the new package, as the model won’t be available until January 2025. You can expect that pricing to arrive around the same time as the Bronco Free Wheeling package, which also just arrived for the 2025 model year. It’s clear the Bronco’s heritage has remained front of mind at Ford, which is what we’d expect from an iconic nameplate. If you’re gonna do special editions, it doesn’t hurt to take a look at your own legends.
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