See all the exciting things the new Bronco can do on and off the road in this 1966 Ford film.
In this 1966 Ford film for its brand-new Bronco, the theme is versatility. In 11 minutes and in color, they’re going to show us all the things the Bronco can be—roadster, sport utlity, wagon—and all the things it can do, on and off the road. It’s interesting to note that the same engineer who was behind the Ford Mustang, Donald F. Frey, was also responsible for the similarly named Bronco. (See our feature on the Bronco’s development here.) In its original messaging, in fact, Ford often referred to the Bronco as “a new kind of sports car,.” That is, it was a Mustang for off-the-road adventures.
Although it’s never actually mentioned by name here, we can’t miss all the comparisons to the leader of the four-wheel drive sport-utility market: Jeep. With it wider, squared-off body, the Bronco offered considerably more interior volume and cargo capacity. (After all, the Jeep was essentially a 1940 design.) And with its wider track width, longer wheelbase, and six-cylinder engine with 30 more horsepower, the Bronco was more suited to the highway than the stubby CJ-5. Anyway, here’s the full rundown on the new Bronco. VIdeo below.
Not mentioned, the 1st time most of us saw the all new Bronco, was on the TV show Green Acres. The bumbling county farm agent, Hank Kimball( Alvy Moore) drove a 1966 or ’67 roadster on the show. Ford was the sponsor of the show, and what better place, than a hit TV show to show off the new Bronco. There’s currently a huge misguided hype on 1st gen Broncos, with folks asking 5 figures for rusty examples. That is something I can’t accept, it’s just not collectible material, it’s a dang snowplow, for heavens sake. Go figure.
I remember. “Hey, Dad, Ford’s coming out with a Scout!”
We had a ’66 F-100 (our farm truck) and I’m impressed with all the similar pieces in the Bronco. The rear fender, the latch on the tailgate, the radio, speedo, door trim, dash knobs, etc.
The film does make me smile. I count two Chevies and one Plymouth being rescued… Note they call the pickup a “Sports Utility” (at 2:18 in the video). I have to wonder if the term in use already, or if Ford coined it here.
I’m amazed that they showed all those shots of the Bronco with no doors bouncing over rough terrain and no seatbelts in use. In one shot of the interior you can see the belts on the seats but none with them in use.
I also have to chuckle when I see the film maker speed up the picture to make it look like they are moving faster.
Hi Hank, I noticed that too. Safety just wasn’t the hot button it became. The roadster was designed for slow, get in and out a lot, travel. It would seem pretty foolish to drive one like that today.
I seem to recall RUST was a major issue.
Rust was an issue with just about all vehicles back then, especially in the Snow Belt. I remember 1970s Japanese cars rusting out faster than American cars (although some American cars were a lot worse than others). The Japanese drivetrains were solid, but the bodies left a lot to be desired from a corrosion standpoint. The Honda Civic of that era was a big seller in my area, but the bodies started rotting out after three years due to water spray and winter road salt. It was common to see a Civic plastered with body rust-through holes.
Thank goodness that the steel alloys and paints used today are much more durable!
Watching the old The FBI of late – The Bronco appears in lots of episodes
– Inspector Erskine drives and uses Bronco’s quite a bit through all 9 seasons!