When car companies build futuristic concepts for tomorrow, they are usually exotic cars with sporty, low-profile bodies, and technologically advanced interiors. Show cars are often built around improbable dreams of tomorrow, and are decidedly impractical. Even if they are dreamy notions of what the future might be, it’s still fun to engage in those visions. But occasionally, a car company develops a vehicle that is unique, built for today’s uses, but strikes a chord that resonates for decades. That’s what happened with the 1966 Ford Bronco – a production car/truck that captured the vibe of the 1960s, but also projected a future so far reaching no one could have ever predicted it would still be relevant more than half a century later.
1966 Ford Bronco. Photo: Mecum Auctions
Like the Hot Rod, the first Sport Utility Vehicle was an American innovation. Developed as a competitor to the Jeep CJ-5, Toyota Land Cruiser, and eventually the Chevrolet Blazer, the Ford Bronco was one of the most successful and long running vehicles of the pioneering SUV line of trucks developed in the early 1960s. Conceived with dual purpose use, utility, and sporty performance in mind, the first-year offering arrived in 1966 even though the designs were developed as early as 1962. Originally referred to internally as the G.O.A.T. (Goes Over All Terrain), the idea was to capture the utility of the familiar Army Jeep with the commercial flare and stability of a drivable road car. By 1963, the first of many concepts were in development with the leading concepts initially penned by the first African American car designer hired at Ford, McKinley Thompson.
