While potential buyers will tend to clamor to get their hands on early examples of the Ford Bronco, this 1966 model could be one of the rarest of its breed. Ford was eager to release the Bronco but didn’t have its tooling completed in time to produce the bodies. Therefore, Budd, the company that built the original Bronco prototype, was contracted to produce the first 200 production Bronco bodies. The owner confirms that the evidence is present to verify this as one of those cars, making it an interesting proposition as a project build. Increasing the attraction further is his decision to offer it for sale with No Reserve. Located in Bogata, Texas, you will find this Bronco listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has worked its way to a mere $2,800, and with No Reserve to consider, a new home for this Bronco is mere days away.

Before I sat down to write this article, I performed a search using the supplied VIN. I was able to determine that this Bronco rolled off the line in August of 1965, which was the first month of vehicle production. That makes it an extremely early example that will attract the attention of many enthusiasts. The owner confirms that the correct characteristics are present to verify that this is a Budd body, which is almost the Holy Grail of 1st Generation Broncos. That being said, it is also a body suffering from all of the rust issues that are typical with these classics. There is plenty of external rust in the lower extremities, extending into the front inner fenders and the floors. Someone has performed the common trick of cutting the wheel openings to accommodate larger wheels, and most of the glass is missing. However, the frame seems to carry nothing but a coating of surface corrosion, and the owner says that there is no evidence that it has ever been bent. Crucially, all of the tags are present, and with replacement steel readily available and affordable, it should be possible for the buyer to whip the bodyshell into shape.

This Bronco is nothing if not consistent because while the interior appears to be largely complete, the buyer will face a complete restoration if the car is to be returned to a factory-fresh state. This is not likely to be a cheap undertaking, but it should be worth the effort and expense when you consider what is on offer here. As well as upholstery, the shopping list will extend to a replacement wheel, lenses for the gauges, and many knobs for various switches and controls. The painted surfaces are all looking tired, and when you combine these facts, getting this interior right will leave little change from $2,500. It’s not all bad news because it is worth remembering that once completed, the refreshed interior should last an easy half-century or more if treated with respect.

We’ve now reached the point with this Bronco where we have to talk about its major shortcoming. When it was new, its drivetrain would have consisted of the 105hp version of the 170ci six-cylinder engine, a 3-speed manual transmission, and a Dana 20 transfer case. This vehicle is a case of “what you see is what you get.” That means that all of the drivetrain components are missing, and the buyer will have to start from square one on that front. That will pose an interesting dilemma for them to consider, and I’m pretty sure that I know which path they would choose. As a genuine blank canvas, they could shoehorn the drivetrain of their choice under the skin, and a V8 could be an option to consider. However, the relative rarity of the bodyshell makes me believe that they will probably search for a drivetrain with the correct date codes to return the Bronco to its original specifications. Unless there is some form of automotive miracle, it can never be a numbers-matching classic. This approach will probably be the best course of action if the buyer wants to seek the best return on their investment.

The classic car world is riddled with “if only” scenarios, and no vehicle demonstrates this better than this 1966 Bronco. If it had retained its original drivetrain, it is a vehicle that could easily command a value well beyond $60,000 if the owner performed the restoration work to a high standard. It can never be numbers-matching, and that will harm its ultimate value. It is conceivable that if the buyer can locate date-correct components, it could still be worth $50,000 or more once complete. Would you follow that path, or would you ignore the relative rarity of the body and slot in a drivetrain of your choosing? That’s a tough call to make.