Since the arrival of the revived Bronco nameplate onto the scene last year, we’ve been flooded with news about the model. Most of the time, this kind of news concerns either the brand new six generation, or the Broncos of old, customized, restored, or restomodded by talented hands all across America.
Now, if you’ve been watching us, you might have noticed we constantly feature barn finds here on autoevolution. In researching our stories, we learned that rusted old Broncos abandoned in fields and elsewhere are not that easy to come by. So imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon this here Bronco, not on eBay or Craigslist, but selling during a major Mecum auction in Tulsa at the end of this week.
And it looks not unlike some of the barn finds we usually write about, or, in some respects, even worse than one. The roof, hood, and rear of the cabin are all engulfed in rust, so much so that it goes well beyond the spells of patina. The body is dented and the paint chipped, the rims look awful, and the proof of fuel having been repeatedly spilled from the tank are proudly displayed on the driver side of the vehicle.
The interior is in a tad better shape, with the white seats looking particularly fresh, given their age, but that's not what's magic about this machine.
You see, the Bronco hides under the deceiving body many of its original and important bits and pieces, including the native 289ci engine and 3-speed manual transmission, both presumably in working order. The odometer reads close to 42,000 original miles (67,600 km), meaning an average of about 800 miles (1,280 km) have been driven in it each year since it came to be in 1968.
The Bronco is listed by Mecum with an undisclosed reserve, and any buyer has two options for it: either keep it as is, until it becomes an invaluable motoring gem stuck in time, or go ahead and bring it into the modern world through some custom work.
And it looks not unlike some of the barn finds we usually write about, or, in some respects, even worse than one. The roof, hood, and rear of the cabin are all engulfed in rust, so much so that it goes well beyond the spells of patina. The body is dented and the paint chipped, the rims look awful, and the proof of fuel having been repeatedly spilled from the tank are proudly displayed on the driver side of the vehicle.
The interior is in a tad better shape, with the white seats looking particularly fresh, given their age, but that's not what's magic about this machine.
You see, the Bronco hides under the deceiving body many of its original and important bits and pieces, including the native 289ci engine and 3-speed manual transmission, both presumably in working order. The odometer reads close to 42,000 original miles (67,600 km), meaning an average of about 800 miles (1,280 km) have been driven in it each year since it came to be in 1968.
The Bronco is listed by Mecum with an undisclosed reserve, and any buyer has two options for it: either keep it as is, until it becomes an invaluable motoring gem stuck in time, or go ahead and bring it into the modern world through some custom work.