Tag Archives: ford bronco

Shoppers like the ’69 Mustang, but suddenly ignore vintage Broncos

1969 Mustang1969 Mustang
The Mach I was the high-performance version of the 1969 Ford Mustang

Perhaps they were not quite tectonic shifts, but there were significant changes in what those shopping on the ClassicCars.com Marketplace were looking for in August. 

Among searches by specific year, make and model, the 1969 Ford Mustang moved into first place for the first time since we started reporting on these searches back in January 2019.

The ’69 Mustang usually was among the top-5 on the most-searched list, but had never been higher than third place — until August, when it galloped past the 1967 Mustang and 1967 Chevrolet Impala to take over first place.

But the Mustang’s ascension to first place on the year-make-model list seems almost insignificant compared with the plummet in interest suffered by vintage Ford Broncos in August. 

Buick Grand National, the American muscle car of the 1980s, soars in searches

After steadily climbing up the list and reaching fifth place among searches by any-year of a vehicle model, the Bronco dropped out of the top-1o in August, when it fell to 16th in such searches, trailing even the International Harvester Scout, which ranked 15th among such searches during the month.

“Is it possible that we have all OD-ed on Broncos? With the upcoming 2021 models in the works, and a highly active Ford P.R. department, we all have been inundated with the ‘other’ pony,” suggested Tom Stahler, managing editor of the ClassicCars.com Journal. 

“That said, the 1969 Mustang has great styling, classic lines and represents a Baby Boomer’s High School dream car.”

Topping the all-years search list in August, as usual, were Chevrolet, Mustang, Ford and Volkswagen bus/van. DeLorean ascended into Bronco’s former fifth-place position, edging ahead of the Chevrolet C-10 pickup truck. 

But while the Bronco got bucked out of the top-10, the Buick Grand Nationals flexed its turbocharged V6 and moved up to seventh place, an impressive climb from outside the top-20 just a month earlier.

“For Gen-Xers like me, the Grand National was a high school dream car,” Stahler noted. “We have seen nice examples rising in value and traded more frequently. It does not surprise me that the ’80s muscle car with its beautiful graphics package and decent horsepower has risen.”

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Here’s The 2021 Ford Bronco Before You’re Supposed To See It

Illustration for article titled Heres The 2021 Ford Bronco Before Youre Supposed To See It

Screenshot: Bronco6G

After waiting what feels like years to see the final iteration of the production Bronco, it has been leaked just days before Ford’s official launch of the off-roader. On Friday afternoon this photograph of the Bronco, which appears to be official Ford marketing collateral, was posted to the Bronco6G forum by Administrator Doug. While it’s partially obscured by the blitz of sand spun up by the front wheels in this picture, there are a few things we can tell in this photograph. Let’s break it down.

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First, you’ll notice that the passenger door isn’t on. Nor are the various roof panels. This confirms that the Ford is aiming squarely at Jeep’s Wrangler models with the Bronco.

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The front of the truck is clearly inspired by the first gen Bronco in a brilliant wave of future nostalgia.

This is clearly the off-roady version of the Bronco, which features big chunky dirt tires. It’s got enough room inbetween tread blocks to really fling that sand, which is going to make Anakin Skywalker seriously perturbed.

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Presumably we’ll see even more of the new Bronco this weekend as we get closer to the official unveil. Ford has been dragging this launch out so long, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that this leak was an official way to get another headline out of us. But, you guys just love seeing this thing, so here it is. PR be damned.

2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Photo: Jalopnik (SPIEDBILDE)

Truck YeahThe trucks are good!

A seven-speed manual transmission for the upcoming 2021 Ford Bronco has been reported by a tipster with access to exclusive images of the new truck’s center stack, giving more evidence that Ford really is taking the fight all the way to Jeep’s doorstep. It’s what everybody wanted.

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I can’t share the images here, but you can go take a gander for yourself over at The Fast Lane Car. Their tipster sent in an image of what appears to be an as-of-yet unreleased Ford infotainment center stack. The large screen appears to be approximately 12 inches, and it sits above a familiar F-150 button stack.

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Here’s more from TFLC:

Our source did provide a clear enough image to make out some of the options you’ll get with the 2021 Ford Bronco by way of the buttons on the center stack. Immediately below the infotainment display (showing what is most likely Ford’s SYNC 4 system), there are buttons for a 360-degree camera system, automatic stop/start and a button to disable the parking sensors. Dual-zone climate control also makes an appearance, as does heated seats. However, ventilated seat buttons aren’t here as they were on the F-150. There does appear to be some blank space on either side for a button, so it may just not be an option on this trim level.

More important than the buttons you’ll be pushing is the TFLC source’s claims about the supposed seven-speed manual transmission fitted on the new Bronco. The prospect of a seven-speed in the new Bronco has been rumored since as far back as fall of 2018.

Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Photo: Jalopnik (SPIEDBILDE)

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It may actually be a transmission with six forward gears, and a low gear for crawling, according to the tip. Unfortunately, their tipster didn’t get an image of that somehow, so we have to consider taking their word for it still.

This information does match a PowerPoint slide from the manufacturer of the Bronco’s transmission, Magna, which describes a manual transmission capable of different arrangements, including one with a seventh “crawler” gear. Its standard torque rating is up to 443 lb-ft.

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Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Screenshot: Magna

Autoblog points out it could potentially pair well with the Bronco’s rumored 325 horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque 2.7-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 powertrain from the F-150 pickup.

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The new TFLC report also indicates Ford may offer two different tire options, one narrow for street and a larger profile for off-roading, supposedly measuring 255-millimetres and 285-millimetres respectively. The larger width would match the tires on the 17-inch wheels available with the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, TFLC points out.

Ford planned on already revealing its Wrangler-wrangling full-size Bronco, but the current state of the world has kicked that down the road. Ford previously said the reveal would still take place this spring, and to stay tuned for a date announcement.

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Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Photo: Jalopnik (SPIEDBILDE)

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