Sixty years ago, the Blue Oval dipped its toes into a brand-new market with a vehicle designed to attract outdoorsmen, ranchers, farmers, and off-roaders. Its short wheelbase, innovative coil-spring front suspension, minimalist interior, three body styles, V-8 power, three-speed manual transmission, and strong four-wheel-drive capability—along with options such as free-wheeling hubs and a limited-slip rear differential—made it a versatile package.
This off-road gem was none other than the iconic Bronco. Between 1966 and 1977—the final year of the 1st Generation Bronco—a total of 225,585 of these compact “bobtail” trucks rolled off the line at the Wayne, Michigan, Truck Plant.
What the engineers and design team couldn’t foresee six decades ago was that the “utility vehicle” they created from scratch to compete directly with International Harvester’s Scout 80 and the Jeep CJ-5 would become an icon in the automotive world with an ever-growing fan base.
Today, these vintage 4x4s have cemented their place among off-road enthusiasts and vintage 4×4 collectors across the U.S. and Canada. Hundreds of Bronco clubs and Facebook groups reflect their owners’ passion for the Blue Oval’s original SUV.
Every year, dozens of on- and off-road Bronco events take place across the country. One we recently attended on the Oregon Coast was the inaugural midsummer Back To Classics gathering in Florence, Oregon, where owners of about 100 1st Gen Broncos, from stock to heavily modified, gathered in this seaside town to share their stories and celebrate their shared love for the Bobtails.
Like the Ford engineers who took a chance by introducing the Bronco in 1966, Liz and Ken Lollar, who own one of these classics, dipped their toes into creating a new event focused exclusively on early Broncos.
Getting Back To Classics
“We started Back To Classics earlier this year because we saw a growing desire among other early Bronco owners. With the expansion brought by the introduction of the new Gen 6 Bronco and the inclusion of earlier full-size models (Gen 2-5), some of the events were getting a little too big,” says Liz, the event’s CEO. “Many of those we talked with were lamenting years gone by, when it was just Bobtails.”
What the Lollars put together was a three-day event limited exclusively to EBs (early Broncos). It included a covered bridge run, a “Tacos & Broncos” family night at Sandland Adventures, a group photo shoot on the Oregon Dunes, and a special rally and food drive supporting a local Florence nonprofit called Food Backpack For Kids.
In between, Bronco owners and their families were free to enjoy local attractions and explore the vast and sometimes challenging northern section of the 40-mile-long Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, just five minutes south of town.
Giving Back to the Community
The inaugural Back To Classics EB event, according to the Lollars, drew 99 vintage Broncos and generated donations of nearly 5,000 food items during the food drive
“We find it extremely important to give back to the community that hosts us,” says Liz. “Our primary goal is to leave this community with more than tire tracks and memories. I think our attendees did just that, and they gave from their hearts. It all turned out far better than we imagined.”
“We had 52 sponsors support us this year, and 99 vintage Broncos registered. Our inaugural event couldn’t have turned out any better,” says Liz.
What’s in store for next year? A repeat of the Bronco’s 60th-anniversary celebration—but with a fourth day added to the fun.
“We didn’t want to hyper-schedule everything with our Back To Classics event,” says Ken. “From the start, our goal was for this vintage Bronco event to be family-friendly. There’s so much to do here that, if this is your only vacation this year, we want you to be able to explore and find other things to do. Our entire goal is for attendees not to be swallowed up by the event or feel like a small fish in a big pond.”
EBs From Mild To Wild
Back To Classics drew a wide range of early Broncos representing all years and configurations, from stock to wildly modified. Each celebrated the craftsmanship and legacy of one of the foundational vehicles in American off-roading and 4×4 culture.
That’s why every owner we spoke with loves the Back To Classics concept.
“I can walk up to an EB owner here and ask what’s in the rear diff or what’s under the hood, and right away they can tell me the specifics,” says Tom Hoy, one of the attendees who brought his classic and his family to the event. “It makes for a livelier conversation than you get talking to some guy who just spent 80 grand and showed up with a cool Gen 6 Bronco.”
“And I tend to find people who own vintage Broncos to be a lot more down-to-earth,” says the Army veteran and current chief of police in Tulelake, California, who has attended Bronco-related events for nearly 30 years. “Of the hundred Broncos here this week, no two are alike. Each one reflects its owner’s personality. I love that!”
Hoy’s Cummins EB
Like many of the Bronco owners at Back To Classics, Hoy handled the work on his ’71 Bronco himself, swapping in a 3.9L Cummins and an NV 4500 transmission from a Frito-Lay delivery van and mating them to an Atlas 3.8:1 transfer case. He also installed a one-ton Ford HP60 front axle from a ’79 F-250 “Sno-fighter,” along with a 14-bolt rear axle from an ’80 Suburban—both running 4.10 gears with Yukon Grizzly lockers.
Hoy, who has owned his classic Ford Bronco for 26 years, says his ’71 “came off the production line the same month and year I was born.”
Hoy and his clan camped in the Oregon Dunes for this event, so we joined them for a ride across the dunes to the beach. The Fummins has a sweet power curve, loads of suspension travel, and a surprisingly soft ride, eating up the washboard sections with ease. “I’ve got the longest ORI STX springless shocks they make—super adjustable for ride height and damping.”
Hagey’s ’73 Classic
Vickie Hagey’s ’73 exemplifies a true classic Bronco. She has owned it for 17 years and loves its stock look. Her Bronco looks as good as the day it rolled off the assembly line.
“Sassie has a 302 in it with a three-on-the-tree,” says the proud owner, whose husband has a ’70 half-cab parked in the next row among more than 90 Broncos on display at the food drive.
“She’s had typical work done, like new tires and shocks, and we had the wiring harnesses replaced a couple of years ago. I also had the upholstery redone using the same type of fabric and materials as the original. I take her out all the time on nice days. She’s a daily driver, not a trailer queen.”
Why a Bronco? “Well, my husband is pretty tall, so he looked at Scouts and Land Cruisers. The Broncos have the best headroom in the cab, and that’s why we got the first half-cab. Mine just followed that path, but I was more interested in keeping everything classic. He’s made some modifications to his,” she says, flashing a big smile.
Warke’s Radical ’69
Then there’s the flip side of vintage Broncos—those modified to the extreme. Few, if any, of the nearly 100 vintage Broncos at the inaugural Back To Classics event can match the performance of Robert and Chantal Warke’s yellow-and-black ’69. The couple has owned this Bronco for nearly 35 years, and it has seen many changes during that tenure.
After a fire destroyed it five years ago, the radical Blue Oval now wears industrial Safety Yellow with a black hood and trim. It rides atop 42-inch Mickeys, with a Dynatrac ProRock 60 and Detroit Locker up front and a built GM 14-bolt with an ARB Air Locker in the rear, all suspended by CBM Design’s radical long-travel suspension.
It sounds and runs as wicked as it looks. The 460-cid 351W racing engine produces more than 600 hp and is controlled by a Ford 6R80 juicebox. The owner says, “The only part that’s stock on this engine is the timing cover.”
McMullin’s Moderate ’74
Chris and Paige McMullin love owning a vintage Bronco. Chris bought this ’74 in 1988, had the body and paint redone in 2019 and the 302 blueprinted and fuel-injected in 2024, then completed a full interior refresh last year.
“I fell in love with this one right out of high school,” Chris says of the couple’s Brittany Blue 4×4. “The modifications we made are very moderate compared with a lot of the others here. It has power disc brakes, a 2.5-inch suspension lift, and a 1-inch body lift to run the 31-inch BFG A/Ts.”
“We updated the fuel system and replaced the rusting original fuel tank with a Tom’s Off-Road 23-gallon model. Otherwise, we just made a few technology changes here and there that make it more fun and comfortable to drive.”
His advice to anyone thinking about getting a vintage Bronco of their own: “Go for it! There are hundreds of ways to build a Bronco, and as Paige and I have learned from this event, there’s always more we can do while still keeping that vintage look.”
Sullivan’s ’67 Half-Cab
Rick and Suzanne Sullivan’s silver ’67 half-cab, affectionately known as a “U14” model, is one of the most sought-after and recognizable vintage Broncos. Essentially Ford’s first compact pickup, it turned plenty of heads when the Blue Oval introduced it as one of three body styles in 1966; it remained available through 1972.
The Sullivans have owned their U14 for 30 years. Over that time, they’ve made a number of “little changes,” one of which can be heard when they pull up beside you at a stoplight. The rumble from the dual exhaust comes from a “slightly modified 351W,” according to Mr. Rick. He wouldn’t provide details, but the couple’s smiles lead us to believe it’s a healthy package.
Hollywood Harness’ ’72
Shane Harness says he was infatuated with early Broncos from the moment he saw the 1986 movie “American Anthem,” which featured a ’70 with a bikini top driven by the main character.
“When I was a kid, I always thought that was the meanest machine out there, with the biggest tires ever. It just looked so cool. I’m guessing it probably had 33s on it. I saw a picture of it not too long ago and thought, ‘No, that’s not a very big Bronco.’ Mine is sitting on 37s.”
That infatuation led him to buy his ’72 while he was still working in Hollywood some 26 years ago. It was owned by Dick Van Dyke’s grandson at the time. It was an ugly green and wasn’t in the best shape.
While other Bronco owners seem to have had a relatively easy time bringing their EBs to where they are today, Harness says it took him nearly 17 years just to get the brakes working properly and the body and paint where they are now—not to mention all the other work and headaches in between.
“Getting ‘Big Dick’ to this stage was an odyssey with a lot of starts, stops, bad choices, and wasted investments. Now it’s gorgeous—in fact, maybe a bit too nice for anything related to trail running and rock crawling. So I’m looking for an old-school rock-crawler Bronco, one I can take out and enjoy with my sons, while saving this one for easier events.”
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