Ford predicted SUV craze with 4x4 Bronco
After the embarrassment of the 1958-60 Edsel, the Ford Motor Co. made up for it with some good ideas in the following decade. It started when the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) introduced their 1960 import-fighting compacts.
Of the three, Ford’s Falcon was by far the most successful, because Ford correctly predicted what the market wanted — a plain-Jane, simple appliance-type car. It handily outsold Chevrolet’ s Volkswagen-inspired, rear-engine, air-cooled Corvair and Chrysler’s “European-styled” Valiant.
Ford followed this by showing the way again in 1964 with its spectacularly successful Mustang, a car so popular it created a new class of automobile called the Pony Car. It took GM almost three years to respond.
And Ford was prescient with its four-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle, too. SUVs were a niche market but Ford noted the increasing popularity of the Jeep, the grand-daddy of SUVs. Others now on the scene were Britain’s Land Rover, International Harvester’s Scout and Toyota’s Land Cruiser.
Ford anticipated that rising affluence and leisure would increase demand for off-road vehicles for recreational use. And it predicted this broader market would also want improved comfort and convenience.
That was the genesis of the Ford Bronco. Ford engineers kept the size of its body-on-frame, half-ton Bronco in the middle of the pack. Its 2,337 mm wheelbase fell between the Jeep CJ’s 2,057 mm and the Scout’s 2,540 mm.
And while competitors came with two- or four-wheel drive, Ford believed any aspiring offroader should have four-wheel drive, so all Broncos came with it. It could also be driven in twowheel-drive mode.
For a ride and handling advantage, Ford gave the Bronco coilspring front suspension, although still with a solid axle, while its sport-utility competitors all had leaf springs in front. The rear springs were the traditional semielliptic type with solid axles.
Front-wheel driving and braking forces were taken by two sturdy radius arms extending rearward from the tubular axle and anchored to the frame’s midship cross member, concentrating the forces in the centre of the vehicle. A track bar controlled lateral axle movement.
Further refinement and power came by fitting a six-cylinder engine that was smoother and more powerful than the fours in the Jeep, Scout and Land Rover. The seven-main-bearing, 2.8-litre inline, overhead valve six evolved from the Falcon’s original 2.4-litre engine and produced 105 horsepower compared with the Scout’s 93 and the Jeep’s 75. Ford’s 4.7litre V-8 would become optional a few months after introduction.
Among Ford’s moderations for off-road use were a larger oil sump, oil-bath air cleaner, heavyduty fuel pump and second fuel tank. A skid plate was optional.
The transmission was an allsynchromesh, column-shifted three-speed manual. Behind this was a two-speed transfer case controlled by a floor-mounted shift lever for selecting low or high range or engaging four-wheel drive. Limited slip differentials were optional both front and rear, the only one in the class to offer them. Tires were 815 x 15.
The Bronco arrived as a 1966 model with three body types: a basic roadster without a roof or side curtains, although a vinyl top was optional; a pickup version that was like the roadster with a shorter cab and roll-up windows; and a station wagon with a fulllength metal roof. The roadster was the least popular and would be discontinued in 1968, as was the folding windshield.
Many utility options were available for those planning agricultural or other heavy-duty or offroad activities. These included front and rear power take-offs, a snowplough, tow bar and hooks and a winch. A real throwback was a hand throttle on the instrument panel.
The six cylinder Bronco’s performance was adequate. Car Life (4/66) recorded zero to 97 km/h in 22.6 seconds and top speed of 119 km/h.
The Bronco’s popularity enticed new competitors in the form of the 1969 truck-based Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy. Ford dropped the pickup version in 1972, leaving only the wagon. A 3.3-litre six became the base engine in 1973, followed by a V-8 in 1975.
The first generation Bronco continued until 1977, when most SUVs were beginning to bulk up. Although the Jeep CJ stayed with its traditional size, Ford saw the trend to bigger SUVs and replaced the Bronco with a larger 1978 version based on the Ford F-series pickup.
Ford had been almost clairvoyant in anticipating the rising popularity and convenience features of four-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicles. Although that original Bronco looks small and unimposing beside later huskier models, it served its purpose by launching Ford into the popular and lucrative sportutility field.