Photo: Mecum
For all intents and purposes, 2020 was the all-new Bronco’s year as that's when Ford unveiled it. And for what it’s worth, 2021 will be Bronco’s year as well because the most exciting off-roader in recent memory is finally getting on the road and the trails.
The Blue Oval has big plans for the nameplate and intends not only to sell it but create a way of life around it. It was only yesterday, for instance, that Ford announced the opening of the first-in-many Off-Roadeo schools in Texas, a place where it will teach Bronco owners how to use the machine properly.
All this talk about the new Bronco has, of course, had effects on the custom and pre-owned markets as well. People in the business of remaking old Broncos found themselves relevant again, and on more than one occasion, they piggybacked on the success of the new one to highlight their products.
The 1971 Bronco we have here is an example of that. Listed for sale during the Mecum auction in Tulsa later this month, it is a fine representative of the original breed’s looks but modernized enough to feel more than competent next to a new one.
Because it was originally a two-door pickup Bronco, and thanks to it being propped on top of the large wheels and lift kit, the vehicle looks extremely short from front to back. It also looks mean enough to handle pretty much everything that is thrown at it.
The four-wheel-drive Black Cherry Metallic machine, raised above its normal height by means of a 3.5-inch (89-mm) lift kit with NitroX shocks, is more than capable of holding its ground in an off-road competition thanks to a new set of 4.56:1 rear gears, and XD wheels wrapped in Nitto A/T Terra Grappler GT tires.
If it gets stuck, people can abandon the comfort of the black leather interior and use the bumper-mounted 9,000 lb (4,082 kg) winch. Visibility is ensured even in the darkest of conditions by aft roll bar-mounted light bars, and the Bronco moves under the power of a rebuilt 302ci engine running a 5-speed transmission.
There is no estimate on how much the vehicle should fetch, but we don't expect it go cheap given the history of these things.
All this talk about the new Bronco has, of course, had effects on the custom and pre-owned markets as well. People in the business of remaking old Broncos found themselves relevant again, and on more than one occasion, they piggybacked on the success of the new one to highlight their products.
The 1971 Bronco we have here is an example of that. Listed for sale during the Mecum auction in Tulsa later this month, it is a fine representative of the original breed’s looks but modernized enough to feel more than competent next to a new one.
Because it was originally a two-door pickup Bronco, and thanks to it being propped on top of the large wheels and lift kit, the vehicle looks extremely short from front to back. It also looks mean enough to handle pretty much everything that is thrown at it.
The four-wheel-drive Black Cherry Metallic machine, raised above its normal height by means of a 3.5-inch (89-mm) lift kit with NitroX shocks, is more than capable of holding its ground in an off-road competition thanks to a new set of 4.56:1 rear gears, and XD wheels wrapped in Nitto A/T Terra Grappler GT tires.
If it gets stuck, people can abandon the comfort of the black leather interior and use the bumper-mounted 9,000 lb (4,082 kg) winch. Visibility is ensured even in the darkest of conditions by aft roll bar-mounted light bars, and the Bronco moves under the power of a rebuilt 302ci engine running a 5-speed transmission.
There is no estimate on how much the vehicle should fetch, but we don't expect it go cheap given the history of these things.
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