Brought Back From the Brink: Reviving a Legend

Do you have a sixth generation Stroppe Bronco? Want one? Think the livery is too showy and don’t really get them? Maybe you just really love the Bronco and like learning about its heritage. Maybe restoration is your thing. 

Basically, no matter where you fall on the Bronco spectrum, we have a video you’ll enjoy, put out by our friends at Wild Horses 4x4.

Read: Introducing the 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Special Edition

The Stroppe Race Bronco That Started Ford’s Off-Road Racing Legacy

Bronco Nation may barely be old enough to attend kindergarten, but back when we started in 2020, our team of enthusiasts enlisted the aid of many longtime owners, ones who have kept the history of Bronco alive.

If you scroll way back in our articles –– go ahead, hit our earliest page –– you’ll find profiles on a handful of these men and women. Many more stories could be written on famous names and community members who have been celebrating the steed and adding to its lore for decades.

Read: Dozens of Broncos and Black Bear Pass in Old Blue

In this video, several of these Bronco torchbearers, Mitch Creel, Andrew Norton, and Todd Story, walk you through finding and restoring a very special Bronco, the first 1966 Stroppe-built race Bronco.

Thanks to their passion for the 1966+ vehicle, it’s an account told well, and a restoration done right. Watch the video and get excited all over again for the legacy and capability of Bronco.

You can see this exact Bronco in the Wild Horses 4x4 booth at Super Celebration Tennessee and in California at the Wild Horses Bronco Roundup in May. 

Keep Up with History 

And if you want more on all that’s gone into making Bronco what it is, pick up a copy of Todd Zuercher’s book “Ford Bronco: A History of Ford’s Legendary 4x4.” You’ll learn about variations and option changes, like the ones that helped Andrew discern what he had, read about the Kar-Kraft/Stroppe Boss Bronco, and see stories like Ted Nugent’s third gen beast, also with a tie to Stroppe, and much more.

Watch: We took a Bronco to Iceland! | The Legend Returns

Finally, for a great display of additional Stroppe vehicles and history, head to the Carlisle Ford Nationals in Pennsylvania in June. It’s up to us as current-day enthusiasts to step in and help keep the Bronco history alive and its iconic image going strong! Read the stories, talk to owners of all generations at shows and events, and get out there and use yours! 

How Are You Adding to Bronco's Image?

And if you’re already doing something cool with your Bronco –– racing, building, exploring –– start documenting it now in the Bronco forums and with your own videos. We may be looking back at your Bronco adventures in a few years!