Admirers of off-roading have consistently been drawn to vintage designs, taking cues from the enduring Jeep shape influencing today’s Wrangler to the boxy appearance of the Land Rover Defender, along with the lasting allure of age-old favorites such as the Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser well beyond their prime.
This attraction is so potent that Ford, aiming to rekindle the once-dormant Bronco badge and seize a piece of the lucrative market for off-road-capable SUVs, opted to imbue the revived model with a blend of historic and recent aesthetics. As it turns out, the contemporary Ford Bronco pays homage not only to its ancestral roots but also to a relatively modern concept vehicle that went unnoticed: the U260 prototype, a standout during the retro trend of the early 2000s, which is now receiving recognition for its evident inspiration behind Ford’s top-selling vehicle.
A Concise Chronicle of the Bronco
In 1966, the maiden Ford Bronco was launched to cater to Americans’ growing urge to traverse the vast undeveloped territories unavailable to regular vehicles. The Jeep and International Harvester had already demonstrated the appeal of rudimentary four-wheel drives, despite their rough ride outside of rugged terrain. The Bronco assimilated many of their advantages—like a sturdy frame, compact dimensions, superior ground clearance, and two durable axles—but introduced significant improvements in road behavior, cementing its status among enthusiasts.
The original two-door Bronco sustained a lengthy production period and was eventually succeeded in the late 1970s by a significantly enlarged incarnation sharing a base with the well-received F-Series pickups. This strategy of platform sharing, previously initiated by General Motors with its Blazer and Jimmy SUVs, allowed the Bronco to continuously evolve in design while paralleling the F-150 from 1978 until 1996, concluding with various aesthetic transformations before it was ultimately phased out.
(Secretly) Sustaining the Bronco Spirit
Why did the Bronco vanish from sales floors? The 1990s witnessed a shift in the sport-utility vehicle segment, steering away from rugged two-door models towards more domestic four-door iterations better suited for daily commuting than scaling rocky terrains. The explosive success of Ford’s original Explorer, available in both two- and four-door options, rendered the Bronco obsolete. Upon the F-150’s redesign in 1997, its faithful SUV counterpart was discreetly discontinued.
However, not all at Ford’s headquarters were ready to bid farewell to the celebrated label. Shortly after its retirement, a dedicated team of designers in Dearborn began clandestine efforts on a Bronco revival, named “U260,” riding the retro wave that catapulted the likes of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser and Volkswagen’s New Beetle into popularity, a trend Ford would later join with the reintroduction of the Thunderbird in 2002.
From clay mock-ups to an extensive metallic prototype without an engine, there was diligent exploration into what could potentially become of the design.
A glance at the model reveals undeniable ties with its progenitor, especially in its boxy dimensions, narrow grille, and basic visual elements that reflect a workhorse charm over the sophistication of subsequent pickup-based iterations.
What’s more, its resemblance to the 2021 iteration of the Bronco is striking. Yet again, the grille is a centerpiece, but there’s also a visible shift from the F-Series lineage in favor of paying homage to its origins through its form and comparatively unembellished aesthetic.
Moreover, considering the U260 was destined for the T6 global Ranger truck chassis, which presently underpins the modern Bronco, the connection becomes unmistakable.
Further proof of the U260’s influence on today’s Bronco can be noted in Ford’s 2004 Bronco concept that toured auto shows. Yet, this iteration, with its excessive and exaggerated features, appeared more of a parody than an homage to the pioneering SUV and shared no tangible link with the existing Bronco, serving to highlight the enduring essence of the more obscure U260 endeavor that came before.
The Serendipitous Turns of Four-Wheel Drive Destiny
What became of the U260? A variety of circumstances aligned to prevent its advent on the production line—Ford’s involvement with the financially hemorrhaging Premier Automotive Group (inclusive of Volvo and Land Rover), the underwhelming response to the retro Thunderbird, and the legal and pecuniary repercussions stemming from the Explorer’s Firestone tire controversy. The future of the Ranger in the American market was debated, and ultimately, it became the resting place for the would-be platform of the U260 by the decade’s end.
Yet, the inopportune timing of the early 2000s couldn’t squelch the concept’s enduring effect, which has resurfaced two decades later. Car designers possess lengthy tenures of recollection, and the U260’s essence—a more compact and agile four-wheeler distinct from its once-associated full-size truck kin—bears a striking resemblance to Ford’s current strategy of distinguishing the hefty, full-frame F-150 Raptor from the Bronco of today.
Image Source: Hrach Hovhannisyan / Shutterstock
