History of the Ford Bronco

With Ford’s re-imagined Bronco now unleashed into the world, there will no doubt be a whole new legion of owners who are entering Bronco land for the first time. However, while this vehicle is an all-new edition, the nameplate does have a long and storied history.

It is also a history that designers no doubt pulled from when engineering this latest version, and one the automaker is definitely counting on to court all previous Bronco lovers while pulling in as many new ones as possible.

So what is that history, and why does the previous Bronco have a fanbase that rivals Jeep in loyalty?

Original Ford Bronco 1965-77

The original Ford Bronco had a 12-year production run, and in many ways overshadowed succeeding generations. Many still think of this version as the “successor” to Ford’s World War 2-era GPW — a license-built version of the Willys MB Jeep. The initial 1965 Ford Bronco was also said to complement the then-new Ford Mustang as a youth-friendly off-road vehicle as opposed to an on-road sports car.

Ford certainly had Jeep locked in its sights when designing and engineering the Bronco because, like Jeep’s CJ-5, Bronco was small and designed with simple flat surfaces that were both cheap to manufacture and easy to keep protected from rocks. This series Bronco was built with three body styles: the “Wagon,” which offered two-doors and a removable hardtop, a “Roadster,” which did not have a roof and had inserts instead of doors (much like the CJ-5), and as “Sports Utility Pickup” that was better known as the “half-cab”. This edition did away with the roadster’s two-person rear bench seat in favor of a mini pickup bed. However, even though the company liked this style, it only produced it through 1968. The Bronco half-cab would stick around until 1973, leaving the most popular wagon as the only body style final four first-generation years.

At launch, the Bronco had Ford’s venerable 105-hp, 2.8-liter I-6 engine, mated with a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drive. In 1966, the company produced a 4.7-liter V-8 with 200 hp that found its way into the vehicle, before being replaced by a more powerful 4.9-liter V-8 in 1968. In 1973, that base I-6 was replaced by a more efficient 3.3-liter I-6, while a three-speed automatic finally was introduced.

During its initial run, Ford produced a total of 225,585 Broncos, with Wagon proving most popular at 203,544, followed by the Sport-Utility at 17,262 and Roadster at 5,000.

Second Generation Bronco 1978-79

The ’70s were all about saving money for America’s automakers. After watching GM print money with its new K5 Blazer — essentially a shortened Chevrolet C/K pickup with a removable hardtop—Ford looked at its F-100 and decided that it’d be far easier to cut it down to size than engineer a unique platform for the second-gen Bronco. Although the Arab oil embargo curtailed Ford’s plans to offer up a four-door Bronco (and reportedly delayed the Bronco launch from 1974 to 1978), the upsized two-door Bronco with its removable hardtop would prove to be pretty popular during its two-year life cycle.

To close out the ’70s, the second-gen Bronco had a V-8-only engine lineup. Its base engine was a big 5.8-liter V-8 wheezing out 135 hp, while the upgrade option was a 6.6-liter V-8 with 149 hp — an impressively low amount of horsepower to get from such a remarkably large engine. In comparision, a modern base Ford EcoSport engine makes 123 hp from its 1.0-liter turbocharged I-3.

Ford offered two transmission options on the ’78 and ’79 Broncos—a four-speed manual and an optional four-speed auto. A full-time four-wheel drive system was available with the automatic transmission.

Third Generation Bronco 1980-86

All outward appearances would suggest that the third-generation Bronco was little more than a restyle of the F-100-based second-gen, but the changes were far more expansive than that. With the goal of making the Bronco better to drive both on road and off the road, Ford made the third-generation Bronco lighter than the 1978-1979 Bronco and ditched the solid front axle in favor of an independent front suspension system—a real rarity in the day.

Although the F-100-based Bronco was available in just one body style—a two door with a removable rear hardtop—Ford did expand powertrain options for 1980. Once again, an inline-6—this time a 4.9-liter unit with 115 hp—was standard, while the previous-generation Bronco’s 5.8-liter V-8 carried over, getting a minor horsepower bump to 150 hp in 1982. Toward the end of the third-gen Bronco’s life, it got an upgraded 5.8-liter V-8 with 210 hp, as well as a new 4.9-liter V-8 (though badged as a 5.0-liter) with electric fuel injection and 190 hp.

A handful of transmissions were offered on the third-gen Bronco—including three-different four-speed manuals, a three-speed automatic, and a four-speed automatic with overdrive. The third-gen Bronco also got an upgraded four-wheel drive system versus the previous generation.

Much like how the current 2021 Ford Bronco gets a little brother in the new Bronco Sport, the third-gen Bronco had a sibling as well. The Ford Bronco II, based off the Ranger, debuted in 1984 and would stay in production through 1990. About the same size as the first-gen Bronco, the Bronco II was designed to compete with the Jeep Cherokee Xj edition, and the Chevy S-10 Blazer.

Fourth Generation Bronco 1987-91

The ’87-’91 Bronco is considered to be the fourth generation of the off-roader, but as updates go, it was pretty minor. The biggest change, visually, was to the Bronco’s nose—which now matched the eighth-generation Ford F-150—and an updated cabin.

The previous generation Bronco’s 4.9-liter I-6, 4.9-liter V-8, and 5.8-liter V-8 got some minor updates losing their carburetors for fuel injection, while transmissions were updated to add a five-speed manual and a new four-speed automatic. The biggest mechanical change was the addition of an electric shift four-wheel drive system.

Final Bronco 1992-96

The death knell for the Ford Bronco rang in 1990 when the 1991 Ford Explorer went into production. Splitting the difference size-wise between the Bronco and Bronco II—and available in two- and four-door forms—the Explorer was incredibly popular with both off-road enthusiasts and families alike. As such, the fifth-generation Bronco, when it debuted in 1991, was a bit of a dinosaur, especially considering not much had significantly changed since 1980.

Updated cosmetically with the F-150’s new bodywork, the Bronco was initially launched with carryover powertrains, dropping the 4.9-liter I-6 for the 1993 model year. Transmissions included two different four-speed automatics, and a five-speed manual. The Bronco’s hardtop was still technically removable—as had been the case for all Broncos that had come before it—but, for safety reasons, Ford reportedly made it more difficult for the final ’92 through ’96 Broncos by integrating the rear seatbelts and third brake light into the roof, and by changing the type of bolts used to hold the top into place.

The final Bronco rolled off the production line in 1996 as the Ford Expedition went into production. With the Explorer and Explorer Sport below it, and the Expedition above it, the Bronco had run its course.