The forever phwoar of the Ford Bronco

Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are now ubiquitous, but their origin story is disputed. Some regard the rugged Willys Jeep Station Wagon, which arrived in 1946, as the genesis. Others pinpoint the Range Rover's arrival in 1970 - the moment a four-wheel-drive first combined on- and off-road performance with luxury. But for many, especially in the US, the 1966 Ford Bronco was the starting point. Sixty years after its launch, the Bronco remains an American automotive hero. "It's an iconic piece of industrial design, and a model that has real cultural resonance for people," says Randy Nonnenberg, co-founder of Bring a Trailer, an online vehicle- auction platform and enthusiast community. "It also happens to be tough and genuinely usable, so it ticks a lot of boxes." The list of famous Bronco owners is long: Lady Gaga, Jay Leno, Sir Paul McCartney and Simon Cowell. "Anyone can go buy a brand-new car, but not everyone can have something rare that has history," the actor Sydney Sweeney, who documented the restoration of her 1969 Bronco on TikTok, told Cosmopolitan. "I wanted a Bronco so badly. But I wanted to build one so that when I drove it and people said, 'Cool car', I could be like, "Yeah, thanks", and know I made it." The Bronco was originally positioned to tap into a burgeoning middle-class buyership with an increasing disposable income and an appetite for outdoor adventure. Its no-nonsense boxy styling and clean lines were a lesson in form following function. The short wheelbase, unpretentious proportions and flat, unadorned panels gave it an air of approachability. It looked as well placed on a suburban driveway as on a rocky trail. Offered as a pickup truck, a topless roadster or a fully enclosed wagon, it was powered initially by a 105bhp six-cylinder engine and then a 4.7-litre V8. Five more generations of Broncos have come to market since. At the start of the 2020s, values of Broncos and similar utilitarian-type trucks increased, fuelled by pandemic demand and the release of the retro-styled sixth-generation Bronco, which was launched in 2021. "They were worth almost nothing [before that point] but when the world discovered them, prices shot up," says Donald Osborne, an automotive consultant, historian and evaluation expert. "Big Oly", the 1969 Ford Bronco driven by Parnelli Jones that won the Baja 1000 off-road race in 1971 and 1972, became the world's most expensive Bronco when it sold at auction for $1.87mn in 2021. "It's the mountain-top" for Broncos, says Todd Zuercher, author of Ford Bronco: A Definitive History of Ford's Legendary 4x4. Over the years, the Ford Bronco has been one of the top five most collectable cars on Bring a Trailer, says Nonnenberg. "The overall popularity of the model seems only to increase with every passing year." The market has cooled since the post-Covid peak, with most second-hand Broncos sitting at a base of about $25,000. But Andrew Norton, owner of Baja Broncos Unlimited, which specialises in early models, says even old project-level Broncos remain surprisingly expensive: "It's difficult to find something in the $18,000 to $20,000 range," he told the Bring a Trailer podcast in 2025. "The lower-end trucks aren't dropping much yet." The first-generation (1966-77) models are the most sought-after, especially V8 station wagons and rare body styles such as the roadster and half-cab pickup. One first-generation 1973 V8 Bronco is for sale on Car & Classic in the US for $32,500, while classic.com lists a highly original 1971 V8 Bronco for $69,950 and a heavily customised V8 Bronco from the same year for $329,900. The market is "drifting towards the very specific", says Osborne. It's no longer possible to outline what Broncos are worth, only what a particular specification, condition and provenance will bring on a particular day. He adds that the chunky, two-tone, second-generation models (1978-1979) are especially undervalued and are "due their day". Bring a Trailer sold a 1979 Ford Bronco Ranger XLT for $62,500 in early April, but bargains were still to be found: a second-generation 1979 "project" car sold for $8,200 on the platform in December 2025. At the other end of the spectrum sit the third- (1980-1986), fourth- (1987-1991) and fifth-generation (1992-1996) models - the latter made infamous by the 1994 OJ Simpson car chase. A 1995 white Bronco XLT similar to the one driven by Simpson is currently for sale on Hemmings for $29,900. (Simpson's vehicle went on sale for $1.5mn in 2024, but did not find a buyer.) Modifying and restoring Broncos is common. "A lot of people find the Bronco to be a very tunable vehicle. You can restore it to your own taste and specifications," says Osborne. "But if you're hoping to sell for more than you bought, the car has to have an original spec." Professionals like Baja Broncos Unlimited, Velocity Restorations and Maxlider Brothers Customs can personalise, update or faithfully restore.