Sport Utility Vehicle The original Ford Bronco was the first SUV
Story by Howard J Elmer, photos courtesy of Ford
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he Bronco is back! Ford has re-introduced a storied name plate from its past and fixed it to an off-road-inclined SUV that seeks to blend the modern with a romanticized past. Have a look at the silhouettes of the three models and you’d have to say they may just have done exactly that. The original Bronco debuted in 1966 as a small utility off-roader that was billed (for the first time ever) as a “sport utility vehicle.” This was in print, so they can rightly claim the first use of the term “SUV.” Past this, they had a limited market in the era of station wagons. H o w e v e r, g r o w ing up in the ‘70s, I remember that just about every gas station had a Bronco for plowing snow. The reason was obvious – 4WD and a small footprint with a tight turning radius. And, that’s why, as we moved through the ‘70s, ‘80s and even the ‘90s (long after Bronco was discontinued), this small Bronco started 30 OFF-ROAD Plus MAGAZINE OCT/NOV 2020
gathering a following among the off-road crowd who would source these old Bronco’s and modify them. This is probably what led to the ‘80s re-birth of the much larger Bronco, which, while successful as a model, never attained the iconic status of the original versions. This fact is what Ford used as its base inspiration for the newest Broncos. They obviously decided to go right back to the source. The proof of that, before you look into the details, is the fact that they are building a two-door, short, sport model. The other aspect
to this release is the unspoken (but broadly hinted at) intent to challenge Jeep for off-road supremacy. Jeep, of course, has been wildly popular in the past decade and with the introduction of the Gladiator – the pickup version of the Wrangler – sales have never been higher. Ford wants a piece of that business, and the newest Bronco is the SUV that just might do it. A four-door version of the Bronco will also be available, again
