Yahoo Autos Learn About The Ford Bronco’s Heritage
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Ford’s off-roader has quite the story…
The included video shows Broncos being assembled in the 1990s before the name was retired for over two decades. It’s a fascinating look at how vehicle manufacturing has changed since then, plus it provides insight into why the Bronco is beloved by so many.
Check out how Chip Foose would redesign the first-gen Ford Bronco here.
One thing pointed out in the video is that the Bronco was actually not Ford’s first off-road vehicle. Technically, the Model T and Model A were driven off the pavement and on some surprisingly rugged trails back in the day, but neither one was designed primarily for trail use. The first Ford to claim that honor belongs to the jeep, a fact which might cause some Mopar fans serious cognitive dissonance. Ford made over 250,000 jeeps during WWII, and while it didn’t reveal the Bronco until August 11, 1965, the automaker retained what it learned from producing the wartime machines.
Another fact some people don’t know is Ford almost called the Bronco the Wrangler. While that was a frontrunner, other options considered by the automaker was Trail Blazer, Rustler, Gaucho, Explorer, Bravo, and Caballero. There definitely was a theme to most of the names, but executives decided with the success of the Mustang a horse-themed scheme was best. That was a better option than the original name, GOAT, which stood for Goes Over Any Terrain.
Ford designed the Bronco to address the complaints of Jeep and International Harvester Scout owners, who said their rigs were too small, not powerful enough, uncomfortable, loud, and rode rough. By exploiting the vulnerabilities of the competition, the more luxurious yet still very capable first-generation Bronco was a huge hit. Today, even rough first-gen Broncos sell for eye-watering amounts.
