World’s first Ford Bronco sold for $1.075 Million (Rs 7.8 Crore) – All for a good cause though!
It won’t be wrong to call the Ford Bronco a hot cake from the Blue Oval. Or is it their fine wine that ages well with time? Appears more to be a Beer kind but you know!
Even after its absence of 25 years from the market, there’s no change in the popularity of Ford Bronco. The 2021 first edition of the iconic vehicle code-named VIN 001, auctioned for over a million dollars at a charity event. Barrett Jackson, an American collector car auction company, got the highest bid of $1.075 Million while handling the sale of the first production model of the SUV in Arizona this weekend.
The winning bidder will receive the reincarnated Bronco, a sixth-generation fully-loaded two-door model. The vehicle on display gets an exclusive Lightning Blue exterior paint with Navy Pier leather-trimmed seats and black wheels. The SUV is powered by a 2.7-litre V6 EcoBoost engine which will give an estimated power output of 310 horsepower with around 545Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission with a two-speed Advanced 4×4 system.
This legend of the SUV segment will come with off-road enhancements like an independent front suspension with Bilstein position-sensitive dampers and, in the back, a five-link solid Dana 44 axle with 35-inch tires. The Bronco features removable doors and a painted black hardtop. On the technical front, Ford will be equipping the SUV with electronic stabilizer bar disconnect, trail turn assist, and front and rear locking differentials for a better off-road experience. It’s supposed to go on sale at $60,800.
The auction price can be an eye-opener for the strong demand for the new Ford Bronco. Ford will be making only 7000 of the First Editions for the 2021 Bronco model.
All proceeds will go to the National Forest Foundation and Outward Bound, both of which are parts of Ford’s new Bronco Wild Fund mission to connect people to the outdoors. Ford announced the Bronco Wild Fund last year which sees a portion of each Bronco sale fund $5 million to protect the USA’s forests. The name of the winning bidder for the very first unit of the all-new Ford Bronco SUV wasn’t disclosed though.
“The auction has helped to raise millions of dollars through the sale of nine charity vehicles, which included a record number of VIN 001 and first production models ever offered at auction.” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson.
Other Ford vehicles sold during the auction includes the last remaining Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake CSX 3015, which sold for $5.5 million, and a Mustang Mach 1 VIN 001, that sold for $500,000. The limited-edition Mach 1 comes with the model’s 480-hp V-8 engine option and a six-speed manual transmission, along with the track-ready handling package. The Mustang Mach 1 has Fighter Jet Gray exterior paint and features – a new front fascia and grille, orange accents and special edition badges which differentiates it from the standard Mustangs. The Mach 1 money will go to the JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation which funds research into Type 1 diabetes.
