This Ford SUV Sold For Nearly $2M At Auction – Here’s What Makes It So Special
This Ford SUV Sold For Nearly $2M At Auction – Here’s What Makes It So Special
Expensive SUVs are nothing new. Manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce and Ferrari have been providing the wealthiest members of society with high-riding options for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for some years now. However, even optioned-up to the max with custom colors and impeccable interiors, these luxurious offerings don’t come close to the price achieved by a bare-bones Bronco from the 1960s.
The Ford Bronco in question, and one of the coolest Bronco Easter eggs, hails from 1969 and is affectionately known as ‘Big Oly’. Its story is a long and fascinating one, but in short, Big Oly is a Baja-dominating Bronco that helped to shape the face of off-road racing culture. What made it special, aside from its ingenious and forward-thinking construction, was the huge success it enjoyed. Big Oly managed to claim victory at both the 1971 and 1972 Baja 1000, then went on to win the Baja 500 and Mint 400 in 1973, too. With Parnelli Jones and Bill Stroppe at the helm, there really was no off-road event that this wonderfully unique and now hugely recognizable Bronco could not win.
Naturally, then, when Big Oly came up for sale at the 2021 Mecum Indy auction, there was a monumental amount of collector interest — it’s not often that you get a chance to buy such a historically significant model such as this. The hammer finally fell at $1.87 million, which is enough to buy a smattering of immaculately restored Bronco models, plus an F-150 Raptor for racing, and likely a few more cars too. However, such history and significance cannot be replicated, which is why Big Oly managed to command such an impressive sum.
A closer look at Big Oly’s wild customizations
Having attempted to compete in the 1968 Baja 1000 with an almost stock Bronco, Parnelli Jones knew he’d have to level up his game if he wanted to take victory. The Baja 1000 is such a risky race, and to conquer it, Jones would decide to modify just about every aspect of Ford’s Bronco, with the result being Big Oly.
This mighty Bronco packs a 390-horsepower, 351ci Ford Windsor V-8 engine, which sends power to all four wheels via a Ford C6 B&M hydro transmission. The Bronco itself was space-framed, with aluminum and fiberglass body panels used in the name of weight saving. The result was a weight of just 2,620 pounds — lighter than many sports cars of the era. Off-road modifications included a specialist suspension with huge amounts of travel, dual 22-gallon fuel cells, a huge wing which also doubled up as the regulation-required roof, a split windscreen, and a spool rear end which enhanced traction.
Over the years, Big Oly has led a life of luxury, having previously been displayed at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, in addition to being displayed in Ford’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan. Even prior to this sale, the powerful Bronco was considered by many to be the most famous of its kind in existence, and surely achieving a near-$2 million auction result has helped back this claim up somewhat, too. Even Saleen once paid homage to Big Oly, but for the deep-pocketed collector, only the original will suffice.
