The Ford Bronco was one of the first three mass-produced SUVs to be built in America, along with the International Harvester Scout and the Jeep CJ-5. The genre that the three 4x4s pioneered has gone on to become one of the most popular and lucrative in automotive history – now catered to by dozens of car makers from all over the world.
The first generation Bronco is now a highly collectible vehicle, there are entire communities of enthusiasts dedicated to keeping them on the road, and there are specialist companies like Harris Custom Offroad in West Plains, Missouri that will build you a restomod Bronco with a series of sympathetic modern upgrades.
This ’72 Bronco has been in single family ownership since new, it’s one of the later versions of the model with the larger 302 cubic inch V8 – but there have been a long list of upgrades applied to make it faster, safer, and more capable than it ever could have been in 1972.
A new NV3550 5-speed manual transmission has been added to better handle the additional power coming from the rebuilt 302 V8 – now fitted with a 4-barrel carburettor, a .030 overbore, and an RV Cam. For safety it’s also been fitted with 4-wheel power disc brakes, modern 3-point shoulder seatbelts, and a 6-point classic roll cage.
For improved ground clearance a TBP 2 ½-inch suspension lift and 2-inch body lift have been installed, with grip being provided by Firestone radial all-terrain tires sitting on 15-inch polished aluminium American Racing Wheels.
The restoration included a full repaint including healthy coatings of Rhino Lining to offer rust proofing, the complete list of mods is extensive, and the team at Mecum estimate that it’ll sell for between $40,000 and $60,000 USD when it’s auctioned in early November. If you’d like to read more about the Bronco or register to bid you can click here to view the listing.
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
