The Ford Bronco turns 60 this year, having debuted in 1965 as a 1966 model. There was, of course, a significant gap in production, from 1996, the last year of its first run, to 2020, the year of its triumphant return as a 2021 model. We have already covered the Bronco story in detail. Here is a look at the concepts that have borne the name over the past 60 years.
The first Bronco launched in August 1965, as a 1966 model.
A span of 25 years saw the Bronco removed from Ford’s lineup.
The Bronco is one of the oldest names still in use throughout the auto industry.
1 — Bronco Wagon Prototype (1965)
Even before the assembly line began turning out the first Broncos, Ford was photographing its development models in the studio. This 1965 prototype, despite the 1966 license plate on the bumper, is one of the first official images of the Bronco Wagon, the most fully featured of the three original body styles. It stood apart with a full-length removable hardtop, a two-door configuration, a rear liftgate, and large fixed side windows.
Looking closely at this model, every definitive line of the first-generation Bronco is already there, clean and unadorned. Finished in Wimbledon White on black steel wheels, it could not have been simpler, neither the vehicle nor the presentation. The Bronco was already showing the no-nonsense character that would contribute to its success from the moment it was unveiled in August 1965.
2 — Bronco Dune Duster (1966)
As soon as the Bronco hit the market, Ford wanted to show the world the full potential of its new 4×4. The Dune Duster concept, conceived at the design center in Dearborn and built by legendary customizer George Barris, the creator of the original Batmobile, was unveiled at the 1966 Detroit Auto Show. Built on an open roadster body with no roof or doors, the concept was bold. It featured an NHRA-inspired roll bar with integrated headrests, exposed chrome exhaust pipes along the sides, walnut appliqués on the rear panels, and perforated leather bucket seats.
The promotional photos of the model, featuring two smiling young women, perfectly captured Ford’s intent: to make the Bronco as much a leisure vehicle as a workhorse.
3 — Bronco Wildflower (1970)
In the late 1960s, America was living through the Peace and Love era, which left an indelible mark on the culture and creations of the time. Ford was not immune, and the result was one of its most colorful concepts ever: the Bronco Wildflower. This model was a stylistic variant of the Dune Duster, repainted and decorated to reflect the psychedelic spirit of the early 1970s. Its body wore a floral pattern splashed with vivid blues, yellows, and reds, topped off by an unmistakably bold pink grille. The interior followed the same visual riot: bucket seats in matching floral vinyl, a walnut steering wheel, and a padded dashboard. Ford presented it at its auto show exhibits beginning in 1970.
In March 2024, Ford CEO Jim Farley commented on a social media post featuring the Wildflower concept, writing, “We need to bring this back.” That says everything about the lasting impression this historic concept has made.
4 — Bronco Big Oly (1971)
The Bronco Big Oly is not a traditional show concept. It was born from an ambitious partnership between race truck builder Bill Stroppe and driver Parnelli Jones, with one goal in mind: to prove that a specially built Bronco could dominate and win the grueling Baja 1000. Stroppe challenged Jones to take this heavily modified Bronco to victory. He delivered. Built on the bones of a 1969 Bronco, it featured a tubular-steel frame and a fiberglass-and-aluminum body that weighed just around 1,190 kg. A 351 cubic-inch Windsor V8 producing roughly 390 horsepower was found under the hood. In a clever touch, the roof doubled as an aerodynamic wing.
The photo accompanying this article captures it mid-jump at the Baja. The Ford Bronco Big Oly won the Baja 1000 in both 1971 and 1972. In May 2021, the original sold for $1.7 million USD (before fees) at Mecum Auctions.
5 — Bronco Ranger XLT (1973)
In 1973, Ford began exploring the idea of making the Bronco both rugged and more refined. The Ranger package already existed and would be developed further over time. When the second-generation Bronco arrived in 1978 on the F-Series platform, itself freshly restyled, it marked a major turning point in the model’s history.
The Bronco was offering more and more comfort: cloth upholstery, carpeting, wood-tone door panel inserts, chrome moldings, white body and hood stripes, and a spare tire cover. The model was no longer as Spartan as it once was.
What makes this image remarkable is that it shows a Bronco wearing the F-Series grille used between 1973 and 1977, a configuration virtually never seen before. A genuinely rare historical artifact.
6 — Bronco Montana Lobo (1981)
This version of the Bronco looks like it drove straight out of a 1980s science fiction film. Presented at the Chicago Auto Show in 1981, the Montana Lobo rode on a 1977 Ford Bronco chassis and was powered by a 5.0-liter V8, with four-wheel drive as standard.
The bodywork was completely different with futuristic lines, a rounded hood for aerodynamics, a raked windshield, louvered side panels, and a roll bar housing off-road lights. The most striking feature, however, was its removable, transparent plexiglass doors, which offered an open, free-feeling drive.
At the rear, the concept adopted a pickup-style configuration with an open bed featuring fabric side bench seats, accessible through both the tailgate and a sliding glass partition between the bed and the cab. A retractable loading ramp, storage compartments, an integrated winch, and digital instrumentation completed the package.
Too bold for its time, the Montana Lobo never made it to production, but it remains one of the wildest concepts ever associated with the Bronco name.
7 — Bronco DM-1 (1988)
This Bronco concept has an interesting backstory. Its name carries the initials of Derek Millsap, a student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, who won a Ford-sponsored design competition. Ford executives liked what they saw and immediately commissioned a full-scale version, built by the Concept Center California on an Escort platform. Presented at the Chicago Auto Show, the DM-1 was a radical departure from the Bronco’s image: an aerodynamic fiberglass body, a massive hatch extending up into the roofline, and an onboard GPS navigation system, a feature almost unheard of at the time. Dismissed by some as a pumped-up minivan, the model actually foreshadowed the versatile compact SUVs that would soon flood the market, well before that segment became mainstream.
If Ford had launched this vehicle in the early 1990s, before the Toyota RAV4, this Bronco would be considered the pioneer of the category. Extrapolating further, you could even argue that this is the indirect ancestor of the Bronco Sport.
8 — Bronco Popemobile (1979)
This is not an official concept vehicle, more of a one-of-a-kind modification that made history. In October 1979, during Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to the United States, Ford delivered three specially modified 1980 Broncos. Painted in Wimbledon White with Wedgwood Blue interiors, these vehicles had their tailgates converted into access ramps and their rear areas fitted with handrails, allowing the Pope to stand and greet the crowds as the vehicle moved through them. After the tour, all three vehicles were handed over to the U.S. Secret Service.
In 2022, Ford paid tribute to this chapter of its history with a newly built white Bronco decorated in the colors of the Pope Francis Center in Detroit. The vehicle was sold at auction through Barrett-Jackson.
9 — Boss Bronco Concept (1992)
In 1992, Ford unveiled the Boss Bronco, a concept focused on the urban sport utility vehicle. Its silhouette was more aerodynamic, drawing inspiration from the era’s Ranger pickups, but it was fitted with a retractable fastback-style roof, an absolute first for a Bronco. The striking Lone Star Yellow paint made an immediate impression. A roof rack with integrated lights reinforced its adventurous character.
A fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 powered the concept. Ford’s truck design director hinted that production was possible if public interest was strong enough. It was not.
10 — Bronco Outback Concept (1994)
With just two years remaining before the end of Bronco production, Ford was still presenting concepts exploring the model’s future. The 1994 Bronco Outback took a fifth-generation Bronco as its base and transformed it into a vehicle built for serious expeditions. Beyond its two-tone paint and unique graphics, it wore a black tubular front bumper, round auxiliary lights, an integrated winch, a lifted suspension, and BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. The result was aggressive and clearly built for difficult terrain.
Unfortunately, this concept arrived too late. Ford would end Bronco production in 1996, replacing it with the Expedition.
11 — Bronco Concept (2004)
Presented at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2004, this two-door concept was a genuine statement of intent. Ford packed it with all of the original Bronco’s DNA: a square, compact silhouette, round headlights, BRONCO spelled out in capital letters across the grille, exposed door hinges, an integrated front bumper winch, and oversized all-terrain tires.
The fully brushed aluminum body stood apart from anything else of its time. Built on a modified Ford Escape platform, it hid a 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine under the hood. The concept never reached production, a victim of soaring fuel prices and a Ford strategy that did not yet see a place for this type of vehicle in the lineup. The seed had been planted; however. Sixteen years later, the Bronco would be reborn.
12 — Bronco 2-Door Pre-Production (2021)
Before the official launch in July 2020, Ford released several development versions of the new Bronco to put its design decisions in front of the public. This pre-production two-door model drew significant attention with its door cutouts, offering a vivid preview of what the new-generation model would look like. After a 25-year absence, these pre-production images hit the media and public with electric force, fueling enormous enthusiasm for the model’s return.
All of this, it is worth remembering, happened in the middle of a global pandemic.
13 — Bronco Roadster Concept (2025)
To mark the Bronco’s 60th anniversary, Ford unveiled a Roadster concept. Presented at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance in 2025, it brought back the spirit of the original 1966 roadster: no doors, no roof, no B-pillars, a stripped-back interior, minimalist seats, a utilitarian rear cargo deck, a folding tailgate stamped with the Ford logo, and, as a bonus, a seven-speed manual gearbox.
Unfortunately, Ford confirmed the concept was not intended for production. A shame.
That covers the main Bronco concepts and special vehicles across the decades. It remains to be seen whether the next 60 years will give us as many.
