Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Bronco

I've always had a soft spot for smaller SUVs- and more specifically, small, two-door SUVs; and most of those tend to fall under the Ford camp. I've had a love affair with the Ford Exlorer Sport and other two-doors for about as long as I can remember--but that love goes further back than merely the Explorer two-doors.  When I was a little kid, I liked the Bronco II as well--which was--a shortened up Ranger wagon if you will--and it only got better as I got older.

I have always loved Ford's full-size Bronco--especially from 1980 to 1996, but I didn't care for the 1978 and 1979 trucks; simply too ungainly looking to be honest. None of the truck's styling seemed to work on a wagon-style body. Curiously, I am wondering what a four-door based on that styling would've looked like--1970s era-Expedition anyone?  But back to the point--the Bronco.  Before it got huge, it was a small, no-frills utility that partook in sports by way of beach driving, being successful on sand dunes and other off-road adventures--oh yeah, it also raced in the Baja 1000--and won.  Let's see a full-size do that. 

Introduced in 1966, and virtually unchanged til 1977, Ford's baby really only had Jeeps and International Scouts as competitors; neither GM nor Chrysler had a worthy opponent until the mid-1970s--and those died off in the early 1990s while they Bronco was still king. Seems that the Bronco was still a better truck than its competitors--after thirty years. Interestingly enough, the Bronco was killed on its 30th birthday. What a nice way to celebrate, Ford!

Honestly, I wish I could say this example was immaculate--it wasn't; from far away, it looked alright--but still not mint. Up close, the real horror could be seen; mismatched paint shades, evidence of hidden rust, and all the white accents (including the bumper) appear to have been hand-pained-- and not by a professional either. That would make sense, though because this one is owned by a coffee shope--and that probably means a hipster drive it--and probably only because it's "cool ".

I didn't look inside, and honestly I am afraid too; I'm guessing it has a hacked up dash with a shitty headunit install and an crapp iPod jack. Yes, I admit I'd listen to an iPod in a classic, too, but I would at least put effort into concealing the modern sound components.

This Bronco is awesome-- but it bores me at the same time; I really enjoy these classic Broncos, but this one wasn't all that special, and neither were my pictures. I have shot some really awesome Broncos, but this just wasn't one of them.