Photo: Bring a Trailer
Revived for the 2021 model year, the sixth-generation Bronco may not receive a truck sibling, according to sources close to the Dearborn-based automaker. That’s curious if you remember that it’s based on the Ranger, but nevertheless, we should remember that FoMoCo used to offer a half-cab pickup for the first-generation Bronco between 1965 and 1972.
Introduced for the 1966 model year alongside the Roadster and Wagon, the Sports Utility differs in three ways from the Roadster. More specifically, the pickup features a steel roof, a couple of doors, plus roll-up windows.
Codenamed U14, this variant came standard with a bench seat or available buckets. With 32.1 cubic feet (909 liters) of cargo capacity in the bed, it was adequately practical as well for its time. Come March 1966, the Bronco sweetened the deal with a 289-cubic-inch V8 that made 95 more horsepower and 124 more pound-feet (168 Nm) than the standard 170ci inline-six engine. Bear in mind that we’re dealing with gross instead of net ratings.
The half-cabbed pickup was discontinued after 1972 for two reasons. First and foremost, it wasn’t exactly a commercial success. Ford sold an estimated 17,262 units over the course of six model years, which makes it rarer than the Wagon yet not as rare as the Roadster. And secondly, Ford had just introduced the slightly larger Courier with Mazda underpinnings.
Heaven only knows how many half-cab trucks are still with us today, but if you’re in the market for one, do prepare to splurge plenty of greenbacks for an unmolested example of the breed. Chassis number U14FL738034 isn’t one of those desirable survivors, although it has other things going for it.
Listed on Bring a Trailer with seven days remaining at the moment of reporting, the retro-modern pickup was modified by Nebraska-based Cal Automotive Creations prior to the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. A top-21 finalist in the Battle of the Builders, this fellow really pops thanks to a two-tone paint job that combines a beautiful shade of brown with green.
Further augmented with red-and-white pinstriping, the restomod in the following video is rolling on Method beadlock wheels mounted with Toyo Open Country M/T tires for good measure. Fitted with James Duff radius arms, leaf springs, and a 5.5-inch lift kit, this build flaunts Bilstein 7100 remote-reservoir shock absorbers and Wilwood disc brakes all around.
Impeccable in every respect on the outside, the U14 is a wowzer inside as well. From the 1940 Ford Deluxe steering wheel to the 1957 Ford F-100 dashboard and instrument panel with one-off instrumentation from Classic Instruments, it certainly ticks all the right boxes. Popping the hood reveals a Ford Racing X302 crate engine that sings the song of its people through a custom-fabricated exhaust system with Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers.
A Bowler Performance 4R70W automatic transmission channels the goodies to either the rear or all four wheels through an Atlas II dual-range transfer case, a Dana 30 front differential, and a nine-inch Ford out back. At the moment of writing, the highest bid on this lovely truck is $20,000.
Codenamed U14, this variant came standard with a bench seat or available buckets. With 32.1 cubic feet (909 liters) of cargo capacity in the bed, it was adequately practical as well for its time. Come March 1966, the Bronco sweetened the deal with a 289-cubic-inch V8 that made 95 more horsepower and 124 more pound-feet (168 Nm) than the standard 170ci inline-six engine. Bear in mind that we’re dealing with gross instead of net ratings.
The half-cabbed pickup was discontinued after 1972 for two reasons. First and foremost, it wasn’t exactly a commercial success. Ford sold an estimated 17,262 units over the course of six model years, which makes it rarer than the Wagon yet not as rare as the Roadster. And secondly, Ford had just introduced the slightly larger Courier with Mazda underpinnings.
Heaven only knows how many half-cab trucks are still with us today, but if you’re in the market for one, do prepare to splurge plenty of greenbacks for an unmolested example of the breed. Chassis number U14FL738034 isn’t one of those desirable survivors, although it has other things going for it.
Listed on Bring a Trailer with seven days remaining at the moment of reporting, the retro-modern pickup was modified by Nebraska-based Cal Automotive Creations prior to the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. A top-21 finalist in the Battle of the Builders, this fellow really pops thanks to a two-tone paint job that combines a beautiful shade of brown with green.
Further augmented with red-and-white pinstriping, the restomod in the following video is rolling on Method beadlock wheels mounted with Toyo Open Country M/T tires for good measure. Fitted with James Duff radius arms, leaf springs, and a 5.5-inch lift kit, this build flaunts Bilstein 7100 remote-reservoir shock absorbers and Wilwood disc brakes all around.
Impeccable in every respect on the outside, the U14 is a wowzer inside as well. From the 1940 Ford Deluxe steering wheel to the 1957 Ford F-100 dashboard and instrument panel with one-off instrumentation from Classic Instruments, it certainly ticks all the right boxes. Popping the hood reveals a Ford Racing X302 crate engine that sings the song of its people through a custom-fabricated exhaust system with Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers.
A Bowler Performance 4R70W automatic transmission channels the goodies to either the rear or all four wheels through an Atlas II dual-range transfer case, a Dana 30 front differential, and a nine-inch Ford out back. At the moment of writing, the highest bid on this lovely truck is $20,000.
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