Are 4 doors really new?

I remember those Centurion conversions. I wonder if the Bronco would have survived if they had gone 4-door.

lapazleo

Four door Broncos aren't so new the black and white picture shows a Ford prototype and the color picture shows Centurion conversion sold and serviced through Ford dealers.View attachment 24034View attachment 24035

In 1974, Ford had a "Shorthorn" and a "Longhorn" program. The Short was to be a Blazer fighter, the Long was to be a Suburban competitor. The prototypes even had 460 motors as an option. In 1975, the energy crisis saw the cancellation of this program. I know, because I worked on them...

Mikey Smith

In 1974, Ford had a "Shorthorn" and a "Longhorn" program. The Short was to be a Blazer fighter, the Long was to be a Suburban competitor. The prototypes even had 460 motors as an option. In 1975, the energy crisis saw the cancellation of this program. I know, because I worked on them...

I remember that.

The image here was a conversion kit completed by a company called Centurion Vehicles that was (is?) headquartered near South Bend, IN. But my father (retired Ford employee) spent some time on the Centurion-like stuff. He worked on the F-series line of vehicles throughout most of his career, which at the time included the Bronco (which was largely F-100/F-150 based).

The goal was to come up with a Suburban competitor, much like canceled 1970s program @Mikey Smith mentioned.

In the end Ford management opted against it and tabled most of the SUV vehicles they had in development at the time. I don't really know what happened after that—internally they split out the Bronco and F-150 away from the rest of the F-series line and the larger F-series trucks were rebranded as Ford SuperDuty. My father got moved to the SuperDuty team so I never got the full story as to what happened with the Bronco/F-150. But obviously at some point they canceled the Bronco completely in favor of the Explorer/Expedition/Excursion line.

RagnarKon

The image here was a conversion kit completed by a company called Centurion Vehicles that was (is?) headquartered near South Bend, IN. But my father (retired Ford employee) spent some time on the Centurion-like stuff. He worked on the F-series line of vehicles throughout most of his career, which at the time included the Bronco (which was largely F-100/F-150 based).

The goal was to come up with a Suburban competitor, much like canceled 1970s program @Mikey Smith mentioned.

In the end Ford management opted against it and tabled most of the SUV vehicles they had in development at the time. I don't really know what happened after that—internally they split out the Bronco and F-150 away from the rest of the F-series line and the larger F-series trucks were rebranded as Ford SuperDuty. My father got moved to the SuperDuty team so I never got the full story as to what happened with the Bronco/F-150. But obviously at some point they canceled the Bronco completely in favor of the Explorer/Expedition/Excursion line.

White Pigeon Mi to be exact close to Elkhart In where the conversion van industry was big as an offshoot of the rv business. Centurion also did custom dually and rv hauler conversions of 3/4 and 1 ton van chassis. Obviously the concept of a 4 door Bronco or something similar has been around a long time.

RagnarKon

The image here was a conversion kit completed by a company called Centurion Vehicles that was (is?) headquartered near South Bend, IN. But my father (retired Ford employee) spent some time on the Centurion-like stuff. He worked on the F-series line of vehicles throughout most of his career, which at the time included the Bronco (which was largely F-100/F-150 based).

The goal was to come up with a Suburban competitor, much like canceled 1970s program @Mikey Smith mentioned.

In the end Ford management opted against it and tabled most of the SUV vehicles they had in development at the time. I don't really know what happened after that—internally they split out the Bronco and F-150 away from the rest of the F-series line and the larger F-series trucks were rebranded as Ford SuperDuty. My father got moved to the SuperDuty team so I never got the full story as to what happened with the Bronco/F-150. But obviously at some point they canceled the Bronco completely in favor of the Explorer/Expedition/Excursion line.

The Bronco ended as it couldnt exist alongside the PN96, the PN102 and the UN (utility) platforms. Crash and competitive fuel economy could not be achieved either, plus advanced features could not be incorporated. I likely know your father…I was msmith14@ford

RagnarKon

The image here was a conversion kit completed by a company called Centurion Vehicles that was (is?) headquartered near South Bend, IN. But my father (retired Ford employee) spent some time on the Centurion-like stuff. He worked on the F-series line of vehicles throughout most of his career, which at the time included the Bronco (which was largely F-100/F-150 based).

The goal was to come up with a Suburban competitor, much like canceled 1970s program @Mikey Smith mentioned.

In the end Ford management opted against it and tabled most of the SUV vehicles they had in development at the time. I don't really know what happened after that—internally they split out the Bronco and F-150 away from the rest of the F-series line and the larger F-series trucks were rebranded as Ford SuperDuty. My father got moved to the SuperDuty team so I never got the full story as to what happened with the Bronco/F-150. But obviously at some point they canceled the Bronco completely in favor of the Explorer/Expedition/Excursion line.

The excursion was a beast towing of an F250 and the ability to haul 8 folks. Even though they don’t make them anymore I still see several of those everyday. And the resale on one is crazy. Now that suburban has done away with the 3/4 ton I think there really is a need for the excursion again. At least here in Texas. I see lots of conversions of a 2016 F250 with the Excursion body dropped on top.

Black and white photo similar to the B-100 produced for the Mexico market. Had three doors, 351M, 4speed, and two wheel drive generally. See them pop up for sale every once in a while.