Ford just revealed the first Bronco since 1996 to enormous fanfare. Take a look back what made the SUV so iconic.

• Ford just revealed the 2021 Bronco lineup, and the cars will be the first SUVs to bear the Bronco name in roughly a quarter of a century.
• The rugged Bronco was originally launched in 1965 to compete with off-road-ready utility vehicles from Jeep and International.
• Before reviving the Bronco name for the 2021 model year, Ford built five generations of the SUV.
• During its initial 31-year run from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, the Bronco became both iconic and notorious.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

After a handful of delays and a whole lot of fanfare, the hotly-anticipated 2021 Ford Bronco has finally arrived. The new nostalgia-packed model – a trio of models, actually – is the first SUV to bear the Bronco name in more than two decades.

Before it was axed in 1996, the Bronco enjoyed a lengthy, three-plus-decade stint on the market that started in 1965. Initially developed to take on Jeep and other utility vehicles of the time, the Bronco earned a reputation for being equally capable on- and off-road over the course of its first production run. Given that, it’s no wonder that Ford decided to revive the Bronco nameplate for its new off-roading brand that – once again – takes aim at Jeep.

Enduring through five model generations, Ford’s “go-nearly-everywhere, do-nearly-everything” 4×4 SUV gained icon status, had a brush with infamy, and cemented its spot in American culture.

From the summer of ’69 to the O.J. trial, here’s a look back at the Bronco’s first 31 years on the market.

---

The 2021 Ford Bronco debuted on Monday night as the first new version of the SUV in more than two decades, so it's only fitting we take a look back at the model's long and storied past.

---

Marketed across five generations from 1966 to 1996 and lodged deep in American culture, the Ford Bronco is undeniably an automotive icon.

---

Making its debut in 1965 on the heels of the first Mustang, the Bronco was conceived as an off-roader to take on other simple, utilitarian 4x4s like the International Harvester Scout and Jeep CJ, which preceded the Wrangler.

---

Like the Jeep CJ, the Bronco traced its origins back to US military vehicles, specifically the GP and the M-151 MUTT, which Ford built during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

---

Touted as a “completely new line of sports-utility vehicles,” the first-gen Bronco was “equally at home on rugged mountain grades or on a run to the shopping center,” according to the model’s initial press release.

---

Long before the Jeep Wrangler was commonplace on American roads, the Bronco was designed as a “go-nearly-everywhere, do-nearly-everything vehicle.”

---

It offered standard four-wheel drive and was available in three body styles.

---

There was a roadster with optional doors, no top, and a fold-down windshield. It was the cheapest and most basic of the bunch.

---

There was also a pint-sized pickup version.

---

The third style was the wagon, an enclosed two-door affair with a hardtop. This standard-SUV body style would endure for the Bronco's subsequent generations.

---

The Bronco was initially offered with a three-speed manual paired with a six-cylinder engine rated at 105 horsepower. A beefier V8 option soon followed.

---

The Bronco had low performance figures by today's standards, but it was a formidable off-road racer at the time. It won the Baja 1000 rally in 1969, and Ford says it's still the only production 4x4 to do so.

---

The first-gen Bronco remained largely unchanged throughout its 11-year run from 1966 to 1977. But the spartan 'ute got some comfort upgrades in the 1970s, including power steering and an optional automatic gearbox.

---

Ford had intended to introduce a new Bronco for the 1974 model year, but the 1973-1974 oil embargo delayed those plans. In 1978, the Blue Oval finally rolled out an overhauled second-generation Bronco.

---

Based this time around on Ford's F-Series pickup platform, this Bronco was quite a bit larger than the original.

---

It was a bit better suited for highway cruising, but still had a removable hardtop and all the ruggedness of the original.

---

It came with two V8-engine options and sold 180,000 units in its short two-year production run, according to Ford.

Source: Ford

---

In 1979, Pope John Paul II rode in a Bronco-based popemobile during his visit to the US.

---

The third iteration of the Bronco came around in 1980 and lasted until 1986.

---

It was a bit lighter, smaller, and more fuel-efficient than the bulky prior model, and offered both V6 and V8 power plants.

---

It also was the first Bronco to come outfitted with independent front suspension rather than the traditional solid-axle setup.

---

The truck was built on the F-150's platform and was developed alongside the wildly popular truck.

---

As compact SUVs came into fashion — particularly the now-legendary Jeep Cherokee XJ and the Chevrolet S10 Blazer — Ford set its sights on developing a baby sibling for the full-size Bronco.

---

And in 1983, Ford rolled out the diminutive Bronco II, which was based on the smaller Ranger platform.

---

After 1990, the adorable Bronco II was discontinued and the Explorer was launched in its place.

---

The fourth-generation Bronco hit the market for the 1987 to 1991 model years.

---

Matching the new 1987 F-150 and the changing design language across Ford’s lineup, the fourth-gen Bronco dropped the edgy look and got a bit rounder all over.

---

Rear-wheel ABS and electronic fuel injection became standard for the first time during this generation.

---

The fifth-generation Bronco, produced from 1992 to 1996, was the last hurrah for the SUV's initial run.

---

It got subtle styling updates and a refreshed interior that included driver-side airbags and three-point seatbelts.

---

Just two years before the Bronco was set to be discontinued, the model once again found itself in the spotlight on June 17, 1994.

---

That infamous day, of course, is when 95 million people watched live as O.J. Simpson evaded police during a lengthy, low-speed car chase around Los Angeles.

---

During the two-hour ordeal, Simpson was a passenger in a white 1993 Bronco owned by his friend, Al Cowlings. Simpson had his own white Bronco to match, which was confiscated as evidence during the murder investigation into him.

Source: History

---

By the 1990s, it was clear that consumers favored four-door SUVs over the two-door models that used to rule. So, after 31 years on the market, the last Bronco rolled off the line in June of 1996.

---

That is, until now.

---

On Monday, Ford revealed a new lineup of Bronco models — now, Bronco is a family of SUVs rather than a single model.

---

There’s a two-door Bronco ...

---

… a four-door model …

---

… and a Sport version that's more compact.

---

Although these new models are a world away from the Broncos of the previous century, in some ways, not much has changed.

---

With their boxy features, off-road prowess, and removable doors, the new Broncos are — once again — built to take on Jeep.

---

Not to mention, the new Bronco is available in three flavors, just like the original Bronco of 55 years ago.