Ford Bronco.Ford
- Ford just revealed the 2021 Bronco lineup, and the cars will be the first SUVs to bear the Bronco name in roughly a quarter of a century.
- The rugged Bronco was originally launched in 1965 to compete with off-road-ready utility vehicles from Jeep and International.
- Before reviving the Bronco name for the 2021 model year, Ford built five generations of the SUV.
- During its initial 31-year run from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, the Bronco became both iconic and notorious.
After a handful of delays and a whole lot of fanfare, the hotly-anticipated 2021 Ford Bronco has finally arrived. The new nostalgia-packed model — a trio of models, actually — is the first SUV to bear the Bronco name in more than two decades.
Before it was axed in 1996, the Bronco enjoyed a lengthy, three-plus-decade stint on the market that started in 1965. Initially developed to take on Jeep and other utility vehicles of the time, the Bronco earned a reputation for being equally capable on- and off-road over the course of its first production run. Given that, it's no wonder that Ford decided to revive the Bronco nameplate for its new off-roading brand that — once again — takes aim at Jeep.
Enduring through five model generations, Ford's "go-nearly-everywhere, do-nearly-everything" 4x4 SUV gained icon status, had a brush with infamy, and cemented its spot in American culture.
From the summer of '69 to the O.J. trial, here's a look back at the Bronco's first 31 years on the market.