The First-Generation Ford Bronco (1966–1977): History, Specs & Value
The one that started it all
When Ford revived the Bronco in 2021, it wasn't chasing the boxy '80s trucks or the '90s O.J. era. It was reaching all the way back to this one — the first-generation Bronco, built from 1966 to 1977. Short, upright, round-headlit, and endlessly capable, the early Bronco is the shape every Bronco since has been trying to live up to. It's also become one of the most sought-after classic 4x4s in the world. Here's why.
Ford's answer to the Jeep
By the mid-1960s, the Jeep CJ and the International Scout had proven there was a real market for a small, go-anywhere 4x4 that a regular family could buy. Ford wanted in. The Bronco arrived for 1966 as an all-new vehicle — not a shortened truck, but a purpose-built compact 4x4 on its own chassis, with coil-spring front suspension that gave it a ride and turning circle the competition couldn't match.
It was simple, tough, and unmistakably its own thing. That originality is a big part of why it's so collectible now.
Three body styles — and why two disappeared
Early Broncos came three ways:
Wagon — the full-roof version, the one most people picture, and the survivor of the bunch.
Half-cab (pickup) — a short cab with an open bed. Discontinued after 1972.
Roadster — completely open, no doors, no top. Charming and impractical; it sold poorly and was gone after 1968.
Today the discontinued styles — especially the roadster — are the rarest and most collectible of all.
Engines: from a modest six to a proper V8
At launch in 1966, the Bronco came with a 170 cubic-inch inline-six making about 105 horsepower — adequate, not thrilling. Buyers who wanted more got the 289 cubic-inch V8 with 200 hp, and from 1969 the Bronco stepped up to the legendary 302 V8. That V8 is a big reason the early Bronco still feels alive on the road today, and why so many restomods start there.
The shape that became an icon
There's a reason the early Bronco is worth what it is: the design has aged into something timeless. The flat glass, the round headlights, the short wheelbase, the upright stance — it reads as honest and purposeful, never fussy. It's equally at home on a beach, a trail, or parked outside a coffee shop, and it looks right in almost any color. Ford built 225,585 first-generation Broncos over twelve years, and the survivors have only gotten more desirable.
What an early Bronco is worth today
The numbers tell the story. A new Bronco started around $2,400 in 1966. Today:
~$29,600 — Hagerty's median value across all conditions (up roughly 74% in the last five years)
~$53,650 — median value for an excellent (#2 condition) example
$111,000+ — average price for a professionally modified early Bronco at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale
A truck that cost about the same as a nice sedan in 1966 is now a blue-chip classic — and the demand isn't slowing down.
The Bronco, drawn to last
Our first-generation Bronco print is an original illustration of the truck that started it all — the short, upright, round-headlight classic, in the colors that suit it best. It's the Bronco the way it was meant to be remembered.
