The 1972 Ford Bronco: Specs, Colors and History From the Original Brochure
Did you know 1972 was the last year Ford sold the Bronco as a pickup? From 1973 on, the half-cab was gone and only the wagon remained. That makes the 1972 dealer brochure one of the last times Ford put both first-generation body styles side by side, and it's the brochure our Bronco print was drawn from.
The 1972 Ford Bronco in context
Ford launched the Bronco for 1966 to take on the Jeep CJ-5 and the International Scout. It wasn't a cut-down pickup. It was a purpose-built compact 4x4 on its own 92-inch-wheelbase chassis, sold at first as a wagon, a half-cab pickup and a doorless roadster. The roadster sold slowly and was dropped after 1968. For 1969 the 302 V-8 replaced the 289, and that engine carried the line the rest of the way.
By 1972 the formula was set: short, upright, round headlights, a flat-sided body and a coil-sprung front axle nobody else in the class had. It was the seventh model year of a run that lasted through 1977, when the full-size Bronco took over. Today the first generation is the one collectors chase, and it's the one Ford went back to when it brought the name back.
What the 1972 brochure promised
The brochure doesn't sell comfort first. It sells geometry. Page one of the copy is about approach, breakover and departure angles, "maximized to give optimum off-road freedom and mobility," and the back cover prints the numbers to prove it: a 40.2-degree approach angle and 28.59 degrees of breakover on standard E78-15 tires, more on the optional 7.00x15s.
Then it gets to the hardware. Ford leans on the "exclusive Mono-Beam front suspension," a coil-spring front axle held in place by forged-steel radius rods and a track bar, with free-running hubs as standard. The cutaway diagram calls out an all-welded box-section frame, eight rubber-cushion body mounts, constant-velocity double Cardan joints and a through-drive transfer case. Everything an off-roader would actually ask about is on the page.
It's also clear about who it's for. The photos are of campsites, cowboys, rock-strewn trails and a snowplow. One caption claims the Bronco can "turn in a small 33.6-foot circle—tree to tree—sharper than anything in its class." Hagerty puts that at about three feet tighter than a CJ-5.
Straight from the 1972 Ford Bronco brochure
"Bronco has all the right angles to tame any terrain!" (1972)
"Bronco is an adventuresome breed of four-wheeler that can get up, over, around or through all kinds of obstacles that would stop the others." (1972)
"Conquering off-road obstacles is a natural for Bronco...that's the way it was designed!" (1972)
"Sturdy Broncos come in your choice of short-roof pickups or full-roof wagons." (1972)
That last line is the one worth remembering. Within a year, it was no longer true.
1972 Ford Bronco specs
All figures below come from the brochure's own specification page. Ford didn't print horsepower in this brochure, so we haven't either.
| Spec | 1972 Ford Bronco (from the brochure) |
|---|---|
| Standard engine | 170 cu-in Six (not available in California) |
| Optional engine | 302 cu-in V-8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed, fully synchronized |
| Transfer case | Dana 20, constant mesh, 2-speed thru-drive |
| Front suspension | Mono-Beam, coil springs, free-running hubs |
| Rear axle ratio | 4.11 (Six), 3.50 (V-8); Traction-Lok optional |
| Brakes | Self-adjusting drums, 11 x 2 in front, 10 x 2.5 in rear |
| Steering | Gemmer worm and roller, linkage shock absorber |
| Wheelbase / length | 92.0 in / 152.1 in |
| Track | 57.4 in |
| Approach / departure / breakover | 40.2° / 26.88° / 28.59° (E78-15 tires) |
| Turning diameter | 33.6 ft |
| Fuel tank | 12.2 gal, plus optional 7.5 gal auxiliary with skid plate |
| Tires | E78-15 tubeless standard, 7.00x15 tube-type optional |
| GVW | 4,300 lb standard; 4,500 and 4,900 lb packages |
Trims, options and 1972 factory colors
Two body styles, two trim levels. The base Bronco came with front bucket seats in pleated vinyl, a fresh-air heater, a padded dash and two-speed electric wipers. The Sport Bronco, offered as both pickup and wagon, added bright-metal trim almost everywhere: grille frame, windshield and window frames, wheel covers, chrome bumpers with front guards, an Argent painted grille, a horn ring, a cigarette lighter and "Sport Bronco" fender emblems.
The options list reads like a ranch supply catalog. From the factory you could add a rear seat for the wagon, skid plates for the tank and transfer case, a swing-away spare tire carrier, high-flotation tires, the auxiliary tank and an extra-cooling radiator for the V-8. Dealers installed the rest, including a power take-off front winch with 150 feet of 5/16-inch cable, Warn hubs, snowplows, a compass, a fire extinguisher, a two-way radio and a tachometer.
Then there's the color chart. Ford listed 17 exterior colors for 1972:
Wimbledon White, Candyapple Red, Royal Maroon, Wind Blue, Bahama Blue, Bay Roc Blue Metallic, Seapine Green Metallic, Swiss Aqua, Winter Green, Chelsea Green Metallic, Mallard Green, Sequoia Brown Metallic, Hot Ginger Metallic, Prairie Yellow, Calypso Coral, Tampico Yellow and Chrome Yellow.
One detail people often get wrong: the white roof wasn't a separate option. In the brochure's words, "Bronco roofs are painted Wimbledon White providing a two-tone paint combination."
What made the early Bronco special
Three things, and the brochure hits all of them. First, the size. A 92-inch wheelbase and a 33.6-foot turning circle made it nimble on tight trails in a way bigger trucks couldn't match. Second, the front end. The coil-sprung Mono-Beam axle gave a ride the leaf-sprung competition couldn't touch, which is why Ford calls it "as smooth riding as it is sturdy." Third, simplicity. A column-shift three-speed, a simple T-bar transfer case lever on the floor, free-running hubs as standard and, per the cutaway, a tailgate you could work with one hand. Fifty years on, those are still the reasons people restore them.
The market agrees. Hagerty's median value for a first-generation Bronco sits around $29,600 across all conditions, and around $53,650 for an excellent example.
How our poster was drawn from the brochure
Our 1972 Ford Bronco print started with this exact brochure. The proportions, the round headlights, the flat sides and the short-roof stance come from the photos and the cutaway, and the colorways take their cues from the 1972 color chart above, with Candyapple Red and a Wimbledon White-style cream among them. It's an original illustration, drawn from the original brochure, not a copy of it. The brochure stays what it is, a 1971-printed sales pi1972 was the last year Ford sold the Bronco as a half-cab pickup. Here's the year's original brochure: specs, Mono-Beam engineering, Sport Bronco trim and all 17 factory colors.ece. The print is our take on the truck inside it.
Bring the 1972 Bronco home
If the cover photo of a red Bronco climbing a pine-covered hillside is your kind of truck, the print is available as an unframed art print or framed and ready to hang. Which 1972 color would you have ordered: Candyapple Red, Chrome Yellow, or something deeper on the list like Mallard Green?