The story of the Bronco started back in 1965. It was this boxy off-road vehicle. An ORV when SUV was a name that was still fighting to gain traction, and nobody knew what they were up to in the industry. Now a Bronco from that era comes into the spotlight, and it is wearing green. The greenest green you’ve ever seen.
It is a 1968 Ford Bronco that looks like it just rolled off the assembly line. Unless for the color. This green exterior paint finish was never an option back then. It is now, but it is darker and is called Eruption Green Metallic. And minus all the visual mods it has undergone. Minus all mechanic tweaks it received.
The model has been through a rotisserie restoration. That means a complete reconditioning following the disassembling the car frame. After it is mounted on a rotating rotisserie machine, the structure can be rotated and angled to remove damage, rust, or anything else that needs to be removed. Afterwards, the frame is aligned, primed, and painted.
So this is what the 1968 Bronco has been through. The chrome bumpers are new both at the front and rear, while the radiator grille has been painted in white. The listing says that everything closes and opens properly. That is important for a vehicle at his age. Especially because the top of the Bronco comes down for a bit of fun in the sun. There was a single metal top choice back then. Customers of today can either a soft or a hard top.
There are white leather seats with seat belts (not mandatory back in the 1960s) on board the Bronco with contrasting Dark Green carpeting. Even the trunk is covered in carpet. A tachometer has been added to the steering column.
Photo: Vanguard Motor Sales
The Bronco of today is going down the downsizing lane and comes with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, mated to either a seven-speed manual transmission or a ten-speed automatic.
The vehicle from the 1960s is powered by a 347 V8 crate engine with blueprint aluminum cylinder heads and 650 CFM Holley 4160 Carburettor. The power plant is mated to a New Venture Gear 3550 five-speed manual transmission. There is a Ford 9” open rear axle with a 4.11 gear ratio, while a Dana 44 axle is mounted at the front.
The model has power steering and stopping power received power brakes at the front. There is a dual exhaust system with Borla Pro XS Mufflers.
It rides on 15-inch American Racing aluminum wheels (still part of the offer today, but in 17 inches) with 31x10.5R15 BF Goodrich All Terrain tires front and rear.
Photo: Vanguard Motor Sales
The car goes with a collection of receipts that confirm the mods as well as what is left from the factory. Vanguard Motor Sales is asking for $119,900. That is three times more than the base 2023 Bronco. But they come up with a financial plane that would mean $999 per month.
Ford Bronco, a legend in its own right
The Ford Bronco is indeed a legendary name. Five generations sit between this angular model that we see right here and the Bronco Sport of today, that FoMoCo launched back in 2021.
The first Bronco came to fight the Jeep CJ-5 and seemed it had the means to do it. It was powered by a 2.8-liter (170 cubic inch) inline six. In March 1966, Ford brought the optional 4.7-liter (289-cubic inch) V8 into the lineup, an engine that grew into a 4.9 (302 cubic inches) in 1969.
But then people started looking for something that would provide more comfort on the tarmac, not just capability and fun in the off-road. So the Bronco started to lose ground in favor of the Chevrolet Blazer and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The second generation arrived late, in 1978, being delayed by the fuel crisis. This time. it was adapted directly from the Ford F-100 pickup truck, but being approximately one foot shorter. That was the password for the model to enter the full SUV segment.
Photo: Vanguard Motor Sales
It did not take long until Ford developed a third-gen Bronco, which dropped in 1980. Ford had all the time in the world with this one. They had begun development even before the second generation hit the market. The new generation was based on the F-150’s seventh generation.
The fourth generation came in 1987. It was a short-wheelbase version of the eight-generation Ford F-150, yet shared the chassis with the previous generation. Number 5 followed in 1992. Easy to guess, based on the ninth-gen F-150. The last Bronco rolled off the assembly line in Wayne, Michigan, on June 12, 1996. The discontinuation of the model, said Ford, had no relation whatsoever to the O.J. Simpson case. The football star, driving a Bronco, was involved in a chase broadcast on lie TV.
But Ford resurrected the lineup in 2021, and orders piled up instantly. Still, the first-gen Bronco from the 1960s is a gem. And the one now for sale is the greenest green Bronco you’ve ever seen.
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