Sometimes, one great vehicle leads to another. Jack Niederkorn, a.k.a. “Bronco Jack,” was displaying his 1971 Stroppe Baja Bronco a few years ago during the Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals (MCACN) at the Donald E. Stephens convention center in Rosemont, Illinois. The Bronco was an eye-catcher with its flawless orange-white-and-blue paint scheme. Normally, one wouldn’t expect to see a Ford Bronco at this annual muscle car extravaganza, but with managing partner Bob Ashton pulling the strings and calling the shots, you can expect the unexpected. 

Niederkorn provided details of his ’71 Stroppe Baja Bronco, and when I asked him if he owned any others, he said, “Yes, I have an original ’74 Bronco Ranger that has never been restored. It’s never been restored and yet it’s in exceptional shape for an original first-generation Bronco – I think you’ll like it.” 

Indeed, original, unrestored vehicles from the 1960’s and ’70s are extremely hard to come by today and they’re highly sought after by collectors. Given that Broncos were built for off-road duty – and were more often than not used in that way – an unrestored ’74 Bronco survivor is a truly rare automobile today. 

Seeing Niederkorn’s original ’74 Bronco Ranger for the first time blew me away. It’s truly a time capsule, even retaining its factory Bold Orange paint finish that’s clearly been well cared for all of its life. The interior looks as though it’s had little use, and the engine bay remains clean, with no signs of oil leaks from the original 302-cubic-inch V-8 engine. The chrome around the windshield and door frames is likewise immaculate. When I ran my eyes down the fenders, doors and quarter panels, I was shocked by the outstanding laser-straight and dent-free condition of the body-side moldings. The Bronco’s grill and head lamp trim is also in phenomenal condition. One pass around this stallion was all it took to win me over. I was excited and ready to pull the trigger on my Nikon. 

Niederkorn and I scheduled a photo shoot in Michigan when he and the Bronco would be attending the Bronco-Rama, a yearly event held at the Bronco Graveyard (broncograveyard.com) in Brighton, Michigan. There, Niederkorn provided more details on his incredibly special survivor.

THE PATH TO PRESERVATION

This ’74 Bronco Ranger was special-ordered from Ford Motor Company by its original owner, and built at Ford’s Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, Michigan, on November 29, 1973. Incidentally, this same FoMoCo facility is carrying on the Bronco tradition by serving as the assembly plant for the new 2021 model.

Niederkorn purchased the ’74 Bronco Ranger from the original owner in 1988 after seeing it advertised in the “Ford truck for sale section” of a national magazine. As advertise, it had been well cared-for and remained in factory-original form. Like the rest of the vehicle, the exterior paint has been preserved to keep it looking new. Over the years, it’s had minimal paint touch-up work with regular wax applications to prevent paint surface oxidation. The interior trim has received minimal use and looks factory new, including the extremely rare removable rare seat. (Many Bronco owners in the past removed these seats to gain additional cargo-storage space; after sitting around unused, they were often discarded.) With 68,000 miles on the odometer, this Bronco’s factory-installed 302 engine remains dependable and continues to perform without issue. 

Despite remaining so well-preserved, Niederkorn’s Bronco was used by its original owner just as Ford had intended: “It was used for hunting,” Niederkorn said. “The hunting area terrain was rugged, and the Bronco and its four-wheel drive was perfect for getting in and out of the back country during hunting trips and excursions.”

As evidence of its useful past, Niederkorn pointed to the gun rack mounted on the white fiberglass cap above the rear quarter-panel, on the interior side, just behind the driver’s seat. The original owner installed it back in the day, and it remains there 47 years later. 

With the nickname “Bronco Jack,” there’s no question that Niederkorn knew exactly what he was buying back in 1988, when most would consider this 14-year-old Bronco to simply be a “used” truck. “I wanted something 100 percent original,” he explained. 

BUILDING THE BRONCO

The conceptual idea to produce the Bronco started in the early 1960’s with Ford product manager Donald Frey; the vehicle was then engineered by Paul G. Axelrad. After the first clay models were completed in mid-1963, Lee Iacocca approved the final model for production in February 1964. Developed as an Off Road Vehicle (ORV), the Bronco was intended as a competitor for the Jeep CJ, the International-Harvester Scout and the Toyota Land Cruiser. 

Upon its release for the 1966 model year, the Ford Bronco sold well, but following the introduction of the larger Chevrolet Blazer, Jeep Cherokee and International Scout II, the competition cut into the Bronco market share. Demand also began to shift toward competing SUV’s that intended to have better on-road capability, leading to a decline in sales for the Bronco.

The first-generation Bronco was built upon a unique chassis developed specifically for the short wheelbase platform, and it was not shared with any other Ford or Lincoln-Mercury vehicle. Built on a 92-inch wheelbase (sized between the Jeep CJ-5 and International Scout, and only an inch shorter than the later Jeep CJ-7, the Bronco utilized box-section, body-on-frame construction. 

To simplify production, all Broncos were sold with four-wheel drive; a shift-on-the-fly Dana 20 transfer case and locking hubs were standard equipment. The rear axle was a Ford 9-inch differential with Hotchkiss drive and leaf springs; the front axle was a Dana 30, replaced by a Dana 44 in 1977. In contrast to the Twin I-Beams of full-size Ford trucks, the Bronco used radius arms to locate the coil-sprung front axle along with a lateral travel bar, allowing for a 34-foot turning circle, long wheel travel and anti-dive geometry (useful for snow plowing). A heavy-duty suspension system was an option, along with front air springs.  

At the August 1965 launch, the Bronco was offered with a 170-cubic-inch inline six derived from the Ford Falcon. The 105-horseppwer engine was modified from the Falcon version with solid valve lifters, a 6-quart oil pan, heavy-duty fuel pump, oil-bath air cleaner and carburetor with a float bowl that compensated against vehicle tilting. In March 1966, a 200-horse 289-cubic inch V-8 engine was introduced as an option. For the 1969 model year, the V-8 was enlarged to 302 cubic inches, remaining though the 1977 model year (which was the last model year of the first-generation Bronco). For 1973, a 200-cube inline six became the standard engine and it, too, was offered through 1977. 

To lower production cost at its launch, the Bronco was solely offered with a three-speed, column-shifted manual transmission, and floor-mounted transfer case shifter (a floor-mounted transmission shifter later became a popular modification). In response to buyer demand, a three-speed automatic was offered as an option beginning in 1973.

In the central theme of the first-generation Bronco, styling was subordinated to simplicity and economy, so all glass was flat, bumpers were straight C-section, and the left and right door skins were symmetrical (prior to the fitment of door mounting hardware). Again, for economy, the Bronco was initially offered as a single trim level with a long option list. In its second year, Ford introduced the Sport option package for the 1967 Bronco wagon. Consisting primarily of chrome exterior trim and wheel-covers, the Sport package was distinguished by red-painted “FORD” grill lettering. Ford 1970, the Bronco Sport became a freestanding model rather than an option package. 

Ford 1972, in line with the F-Series trucks, “Ranger” trim marked the top-of-the-line Bronco. The Ranger version offered body stripes, model-specific wheel covers, cloth seats, woodgrain door panels and a carpeted interior. 

Ford Motor Company sold 25,824 Broncos during the 1974 model year, making it the best year for sales during the first generation’s 12-model years of production, from 1966-1977.

A NEW GENERATION OF BRONCO

This year, Ford has launched an all-new Bronco with many cues from its storied past. Not to be confused with its new stablemate, an all-wheel drive compact SUV dubbed the Bronco Sport, the just-released 2021 Ford Bronco is heavily influenced by the original with designers implementing many first-generation styling cues into the modern platform. Public excitement for the new Bronco is high and sales are expected to be brisk. 

As a well-known and respected first-generation Bronco collector, Niederkorn took part in a private viewing of the new truck with a select group of enthusiasts that Ford Motor Company had asked to review before the launch of the 2021 Bronco. On that first impression alone, he believes the all-new ’21 model has properly resurrected the Ford Bronco legacy.

“The new Bronco is every bit of an off-roader as the original Broncos were,” Niederkorn said of the new truck. “It exceeded my expectations; you can see that Ford Motor Company outdid themselves.”

Early consumer interest and vehicle orders would indicate that Ford has another hit on its hands. 

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS COURTESY AL ROGERS / FREEZE FRAME IMAGE