Bronco Barn Find: Rusty Blue '72 1/2 Cab

 

The rusty Bronco was once a gleaming Bahama Blue U-14 1/2 Cab, one of the last ones built. 1972 was the last year for the 1/2 cab/pickup option. This one was for sale, I hope someone restores this one.

Broncos at the Beach Pt 3

 Some pictures to remind you that summer is just around the corner.....hang in there.

Yellow Broncos!

 You might not think yellow is a popular color for classic Broncos, but it is not difficult to find them painted in the shade between orange and green.

There were only seven colors of yellow offered and the most enduring was "chrome yellow" which looked more orange then yellow, it was offered every year except 1966.

The other yellow hues included Springtime Yellow (66), Meadowlark Yellow (68), Empire Yellow (69), Tampico Yellow (72 & 73) and Sandpiper Yellow (74).

So here is a sampling of yellow classic Broncos.

Where are they now? Part 1 Bronco #1

 We're starting a new segment here at the blog. This is a list of iconic Broncos and a short story about them and finish with where the Broncos are now.

Bronco #1

We'll start with the very first Bronco:

Bronco #1 is also called the Shelby Bronco, there has been some mystery surrounding this one. It was serial #1 (more precisely 000), the first Bronco to roll off the line....although when it was built there was no "line", they were assembled off site with the body tubs that were put together by Budd & Co.

The color was Caribbean Turquoise, and it was a U14 1/2 Cab Bronco.

The Bronco then went through testing and a V-8 engine was installed (either a 260 or 289). When testing was completed and Ford's assembly line churning out new ponies, Bronco #1 was no longer needed, so it was given to Carrol Shelby.

I assume Ford hoped Shelby would do something creative with the Bronco (as Stroppe had been doing), but instead he sent it to his ranch in Texas where it was used for chores. This was in July of 1969. The Bronco got a repaint in red with white and someone installed rear fender flares and bigger tires.

In 1978 the Bronco was sold for $100 to a local Ford dealer named Vinnie Yakubanski.

Yakubankski used it for his family weekend ride for years. At some point it is repainted again, this time blue and silver. It was also relocated to Wyoming.

In October of 2016 the Bronco was discovered by the team at Gateway Bronco in Illinois.

Bronco Babes #47

Happy New Year!