This may not come as much of a surprise to enthusiasts who’re tuned into this form of thing, but in the event you have not been being attentive, first-generation Ford Broncos have turn out to be bona fide collector’s items in recent times, and values have exploded accordingly. At the highest end of the market, three restomod Broncos crossed the Barrett-Jackson auction block in Scottsdale last 12 months, trading hands for $257,000, $340,000, and $400,000, with the latter two ending up in the highest six highest-grossing lots at the entire event. Even stepping down from high-dollar restomods, and before the brand new one reintroduced the name to a complete recent generation, first-gen Bronco appreciation has been bubbling for years.
Hagerty reported back in 2020 a mean “good” condition price of about $40,100, while most subsequent generations held average used values within the $10,000s. And indeed, a cursory glance at nice, first-gen Broncos sold on Bring a Trailer over the past two years shows prices that rarely dip below that of a brand recent one, while clean, desirable, restored examples commonly trade for six figures.
An old Bronco is the most well liked recent accessory
What’s more, the Bronco craze seems to have reached a brand new peak recently, particularly amongst a particular demographic of ladies. The Wall Street Journal ran a feature back in June with the headline “The Expensive Accessory Every ‘Hot Girl’ Wants: An Old, Loud SUV,” rocking a hero image of a green 1976 Bronco that had been acquired by its young, affluent female owner for about $125,000. Naturally, Kim Kardashian made automobile website headlines a number of weeks ago after splashing $285,000 on a Velocity restomod ’73 Bronco with a Coyote V8, and she or he’s hardly the primary or only celebrity to have a vintage Bronco of their collection.
The primary-gen Ford Bronco’s appeal is analogous to the appeal of just about another classic automobile. That easy, boxy, timeless shape is so iconic that Ford couldn’t help but draw heavy inspiration from it when designing the present one. It’s nostalgic, it’s easy, and — it should be said — an antidote to modern cars which have long grown a bit too heavy, insulated, and connected to the web.
The Bronco’s value is easy economics
Throw in the straightforward undeniable fact that OG Broncos are relatively rare, Ford obviously is not constructing them anymore, and the surge in resale value was inevitable. Supply is low, and demand has grown, so prices naturally explode. There’s also the notion that collectibility begets collectibility. Once something gets flagged as a possible investment, values go up much more as word spreads and other people who perhaps otherwise would not be fascinated with a 60-year-old Ford attempt to get their hands on one to pad their retirement fund and have something to inform everyone about at dinner parties.
An old Ford Bronco, then, has turn out to be to off-roading what the air-cooled Porsche 911 is to performance (or performative) driving. You would be hard-pressed to seek out either in the intense environment for which it was originally made, nevertheless it’s turn out to be the standard-issue classic automobile for those trying to relive simpler, more analog times. And like what looks like all nice things in life, it’s getting harder and harder to get into unless you have got deep pockets.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
