Who had “First-Generation Bronco” on their bingo card of cars that would go through the roof in value? Well, if we could all choose the best investments, we’d all be rich and we could all afford early Broncos. This first-year example was built in August 1965, making it a very early example of a cute little SUV that’s enjoyed quite a resurgence in popularity lately.
Going back to the Model T, Ford was adept at identifying holes in market segments and coming up with just the right car to fill them, but in the Bronco’s case, they were far from being the innovators of the field. On the heels of the Jeep and the International Scout, the Bronco was a rugged little go-anywhere rig that looked purposeful and had a Ford badge on it.
The earliest Broncos came with one engine, the smallest six-cylinder Ford (of USA) offered at the time, the 170. You got a fully-synchronized three-speed manual and four-wheel-drive standard. The front axle and transfer case were Dana units, and the rear axle was the well-known Ford nine inch, which must be one of the most egregious examples of “too much axle for the power” in the automotive world. Still, Ford built the Bronco to go off road reliably, not as a comfortable highway cruiser; that would come later.
The interior was spartan and purposeful, with a flat metal dashboard, only the necessary controls, and Mustang bucket seats. This one was even painted Sahara Beige; whoever ordered this one new wanted a no-nonsense little truck and no more.
The selling dealer says that this Bronco has been owned by the same person since 1976, but it’s clearly been a while since it’s been in use. The first-generation Bronco rusted spectacularly (like all its competitors), so the crusty undercarriage actually looks pretty good.
The load floor and interior panels look good, too. It’s possible that the 98,635 miles on the odometer are genuine, and that this Bronco didn’t see too much salt on the roads.
Don’t get me wrong, the Bronco will need a fair bit of rust repair, but it’s a fairly solid start for a restoration, and unlike anything I buy, this little SUV is financially worth the effort. It’s currently on eBay with a high bid of $7,800, and is located in St. Louis, Missouri. If you want an untouched example of the Bronco that started it all, this is a great find. How far will this Bronco go?
really not to bad of condition , could be a nice driver for cheap!! for one of these !!!!!
Not too much higher – maybe $10-12K is my guess.
good 2 C some 1 else to do bronk reviews too~
“… the smallest six-cylinder Ford (of USA) offered at the time, the 170….”
the co. also hada 2.3/144 but not for THIS model (probably what’s meant) the falcon was to B a ve dub bug killer a problem in merica since the late 50s.This is justa 4WD version (or stang if you want sportier). Dont kid urself. The 170 here has h u g e counter-weights on the crank 15 – 17 inch tire and 4.11 gears in the 2 chunks.
“…Jeep and the International Scout, the Bronco was a rugged little go-anywhere rig…”
I’d add the european and asian (the 2nd of which seemed a Jeep/CJ copy) variations here as they were out B4’n after the bronk. Most of these better @ off rding than the ford. But un-like the mericans not as good on road like the reviewed model.
This 1 looks like a real miss-mosh of the yrs (no matter cept for the concourse oriented) and seems (grill & no side lghts as NHTSAA mandated) an ‘early model’ but no hood/windshield mount, far-reach rearview (or the remnant holes), or that lill wheel house to fender/firewall connector in the ’66. Whenever I see stuff like this, no mater the Y/M/M of older vehicle I become wary. When something’s hot in the market (I remember the MGB GT, datsun 240, & cycle of others “Of Interest”) going thru this (some buyers and a few owners not familiar what they had/wanted – just a frenzy) so I swallow hard and think twice…
I remember having a promo of the Bronco when they first came out. Put a lot of floor and sandbox miles on it. This is a pretty well equipped truck with the hard top. I wonder if anyone else reads “fully synchronized transmission” and recognized how new that feature was.
“… a lot of floor and sandbox miles…”. Great line Nelson. Plus for me, the Tonka fleet got the offroad miles. Lots of road-building and such.
I had a 69 bronco with the 170 6cyl- great vehicle – great engine – easy to work on. Everything was accessible. Top speed was around 75 miles per hour, but she’d “climb a tree”… literally would go anywhere. Was great for camping… Lost it in a divorce in the late 90’s (before the value when thru the roof) Wish I had it back. Driving a new 2024 Bronco now… it’s got a 4.3 / 4 cyl Turbo married to a 7spd manual trans… great vehicle – this one would not be easy to work on…