When Ford released the First Generation Bronco, it intended to sell 50,000 vehicles per year. The reality is that they never came close to the mark, and only once during its twelve model years did it exceed 50% of that figure. When its replacement broke cover, the early Broncos suffered the fate of many such vehicles that were driven into the ground and discarded as out-of-date and irrelevant. However, times change, and the First Generation Bronco has achieved the level of desirability that Ford could only dream of when the vehicles were new. Low build totals mean that spotless examples can achieve market prices that would make your head spin. Therefore, it is no surprise that original and largely unmolested project Broncos will generate plenty of interest if offered for auction with No Reserve. That is the case for our feature classic, located in Sanford, North Carolina. The seller has listed it for sale here on eBay, and twenty-one bids have pushed the price to $23,600. If history is a useful guide, that figure could climb substantially before the hammer falls.
Finished in Sequoia Brown and Wimbledon White, the first thing I noticed about this Bronco was the larger wheels and tires. Then I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful in the knowledge that nobody had cut this classic to accommodate that change. That has been common practice with these early vehicles, and while the damage is reversible, it represents one additional and unwanted task in any faithful restoration. The panels are surprisingly straight, and while there is plenty of visible external corrosion, it seems that only a small percentage has morphed into penetrating rust. The same isn’t true under this Bronco because although the frame is structurally sound, the front floors and rear pan sport rust requiring repair. On the plus side, the Bronco’s pillars are solid, and it appears that the front inner fenders have avoided the rust that seems almost inevitable. The glass looks pretty good, and the chrome bumpers that are part of the Ranger pack look restorable.
While Ford still offered a six-cylinder motor in 1973, this Bronco’s original owner selected a 302ci V8 that produced 137hp and 230 ft/lbs of torque. With that sort of power and torque feeding to Planet Earth via a three-speed automatic transmission and a dual-range transfer case, this classic would have had no problems transporting its occupants to the back of beyond. The surprise with this Bronco is its straight-line performance potential. Although few owners would have tried it, a romp down the ¼ mile would have occupied 18.9 seconds. While that figure may not seem astounding today, it looks pretty acceptable when you consider that Ford’s focus was firmly set on off-roading. It appears that the original owner used the Bronco regularly but parked it in his barn many years ago. He recently passed away, and the vehicle is selling to settle his estate. The seller indicates that the 302 runs well hooked to an external fuel source, but there will be plenty of tasks before it is considered roadworthy. The buyer will need to budget for brake work and replacing perishable items as a minimum. Given its potential value, it should be worth the cost and effort.
The seller indicates that since this Bronco is a Ranger, its interior is trimmed in Ginger vinyl and houndstooth cloth. We don’t receive any clear shots of the interior, but there is evidence that the front seat covers are ripped, while the dash pad has seen better days. If the door trims are okay, the buyer might be able to recapture this classic’s youth without breaking the bank. Replacement seat upholstery in the correct pattern and color retails for $400. A carpet set will add $250, while a dash pad increases the restoration cost by $335. If that is all the buyer requires beyond cleaning and manual labor, this aspect of the restoration could prove the most affordable.
That the First Generation Bronco has achieved almost cult-like status in the current classic market seems quite fitting. Nothing was lacking in Ford’s design or execution, but it didn’t excite the buying public as intensely as Ford had expected. The 1973 model wasn’t the worst for the Bronco, with 21,894 buyers choosing to park one in their driveway. Sadly, many have succumbed to neglect and the ever-present danger of rust, with various sources suggesting that fewer than 50% of those vehicles survive. As often happens, a vehicle that was unwanted and unloved when new can transform into a highly-desirable classic as time passes. Shrinking numbers and a realization that the Bronco wasn’t a bad off-roader has seen the tide turn for a vehicle that Ford deemed a sales flop. This one isn’t perfect, but its potential value could justify a high-grade restoration. It is common for excellent examples to command values of $50,000, although spotless examples with a numbers-matching V8 can fetch more than $70,000. With the necessary parts for this project available and affordable, it’s easy to see why the bidding has been intense. Are you going to keep watching to see where it ends, or are you going to join the bidding party?
Hi Adam – can you point me to a Ford document or other historical item that supports your claim that Ford wanted to sell 50k of these a year? I’ve never seen it. Thanks.
I must be the king of morons for selling my 73 Bronco which was in excellent condition but not stock for $5,500 in 1995. What was even more humiliating is I got a call from the buyer a month later offering to sell it back to me for $4,000 because he broke a rear shock mount and I told him no because I was in the middle of restoring a 68 Chevy 4×4. Stupid people make stupid decisions I guess !!!
Don’t feel too bad. I got one for $1000 around 2001. Some rust but all original. Gave it to my dad for Christmas. I’m hoping he’s going to get working on it someday.
I wish someone would explain to me what the hell people see in these,junk when new and still junk
Great looks, good off-roading capability, ready availability of parts, fun to drive, easy to work on and modify, incredible history and heritage, wonderful community of owners…..I could go on, Al!
Amen Todd. I never come here thrashing other peeps preferred rides and I don’t care to see others do it.
The ultimate cool vehicle to me as I’ve owned one since 1978
What makes them “junk”?
I was buying Broncos regularly in mid 80s for roughly 1200, tuning, suspension and tires would cost roughly 800 I’d wheel them and then sell em for about 1800. Last one i had was 70 with an anemic 170 3spd on the tree, I drove it without doing much too it and sold it for an astonishing to me 3500 to a neighbor it was rusty, derelict. But ran and stoped just not well. Im truly amazed at what the go for now. I bought an FJ40 dropped a sb into it…
Hey Al Camino as the old saying goes “One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure”.
Not junk!
We used to 4wheel back in the day. Saw many vehicles blown up and stuck seemingly beyond recovery. There was a creek crossing that got hogged out by the monster truck want 2 be’s. The location was know as the “Pit”. Eventually even the big tire trucks got stuck.
In goes George with his 1st Gen Bronco with tall skinny tires. After a couple of attempts out he goes.
It was amazing!
He still has it along with his AMX he drove in highschool.
Close to $31k now, sellers feedback (0).
A friend of mine posted on social media yesterday that he’s the EBay seller. Solid dude.
yeah, I hate it when one just sits there w/o getting into the dialogue.
Doesn’t matter anyway – most owners/sellers dont have a lot of info on em. These are becoming typical classics tho (longer term ownership, traded down w/in fams, less garish mods, less mods, etc).
Some might doa full tear down/restore w/this. All sysyems here are impacted w/age/deteriation. I did not for yrs (38) but have retired the vehicle from income producing (woods wrk) to more on-rd (70%) and gifting to a 20 something daughter who’s wrenched on it w/me over 10 yrs.
The pass’s side gas fill is interesting. You can get around 25 gal gas OE on these. Some chose even more w/a 2nd aux tank on this side as apposed or in addition to other (3 ‘fill ups’ now). The driver’s floor is a step-up (4, 8 inches) for the oe aux to sit under the body. I see these ‘R side’ tanks in pic often. Not sure how they accomindate them (oe but mounted in ‘bed”? any oe equip? or all after mrkt?). Neither of these aux tanks are in the oe spots (1 on correct side is way too low 2B factory) so the ol timer seen walking away frm camera has had some fun w/it. 2 bad so closed lipped~
Good eye – Chrisful. It’s interesting that a well-equipped Ranger like this one didn’t come with dual tanks. The passenger side tank was always aftermarket. My truck had one when we got it back in ’81. I don’t remember the exact capacity but it was probably in the 10 gallon range.
The aftermarket tanks always filled very slowly due to their non-optimized venting arrangements. We had 2 aftermarket tanks on my Bronco as well and I remember it taking “forever” as a kid to fill it. One time when my dad was filling up, a guy waiting on him at the pumps got frustrated and yelled at him, “are you filling the backseat too?” This was back in the days before cellphones so you didn’t have any time-killers while you waited. It was also before the pump handles had the little clickers on them to hold them on in position. Dad built a piece out of plexiglass with notches in it to hold the pump handle on at different flow rates – probably could’ve sold millions of them and I wouldn’t be sitting here typing on Barn Finds :).
All year Broncos are cool,but where do I start, Gen 1 drive ride like poop but they were Utes, don’t know where they get it but bunch of people have money to burn.
Rw I’d like to know the same thing. Because I don’t have the funds to buy one and I sure would like too