Bring Back Bronco: The Untold Story
9 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -This is the story of a truck and the story of a country. The Ford Bronco is one of the most beloved brands in American automotive history. But when the last one rolled off the assembly line in Wayne, Michigan on June 12th, 1996, it was the end of the brand, and the start of a lot of questions.
Sonari Glinton goes on the road trip of a lifetime to find out why Ford killed the Bronco and meets the passionate fans and team of Ford employees who went underground to bring it back.
This 8-part serial is a fifty-year odyssey of blood, sweat, and dirt. It takes you from the dizzying heights of the post-war boom, to the most watched police chase in American television history and this year’s rebirth of the Bronco.
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Episodes
8 - Hold on Tight – 2017 to 2021
November 02, 2020 05:05 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBWhat does ‘Success’ look like? Studio “S” is a legendary room in Ford’s design building in Dearborn, Michigan.. This creative laboratory gave birth to the Thunderbird, the Mustang and even the original Bronco. Today it is filled with full size clay models of the new Bronco. Sonari Glinton is granted access to this most secretive of rooms and discovers the incredible lengths being taken to honor the past and inspire the future. But who are they building for? Middle aged men in Tennessee? Or...
7 - Green Light – 2010 to 2017
October 19, 2020 04:05 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBIs this really it? After three attempts over 15 years, the Bronco Underground is on the verge of giving up. Then outside market forces suddenly turn in their favour. America’s love affair with the SUV is pushing small cars out of production and that opens up an opportunity for the Bronco. But make no mistake, it isn’t going to be easy. Bronco had been out of the market for more than 20 years and this is its last chance. What Can the Bronco Underground learn from Jeep -- about what the off...
6 - Stuck in the Mud – 2004 to 2009
October 05, 2020 04:05 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MBWill Millennials buy a Bronco? It’s 2004 and Millennials are poised to become the biggest car buying segment in America. Ford knows they need a product for them, but what do they want? Armed with that information, the Bronco Underground creates a business case and production plan for a new off-road vehicle. It’s affordable, rugged, and stylish – Everything this booming demographic wants. All the Underground needs is approval from Ford’s council of the vice-presidents. Is this the opportun...
5 - Driving in the Dark – 1996 to 2004
September 21, 2020 04:05 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBIf you love something enough can you bring it back to life? Ford is a giant company and trying to get them to bring back the Bronco is not going to be easy. There are two groups working towards that end. On the outside, there are dedicated fans and owners around the country. They meet on weekends, drive the back-country trails, and dream of a new Bronco. On the inside, there is a handful of Ford employees scattered around the corporation working secretly to create the conditions for a rebir...
4 - End of the Road – 1994 to 1996
September 07, 2020 04:05 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBWhat was happening inside Ford that night? The OJ Simpson chase happened more than 25 years ago, and yet there are still a lot of questions about its impact. For the first time ever we take you inside Ford to discover what was happening that night: Inside a Ford factory, Inside the Ford Call Center, and inside the Chairman’s office. It’s all in an effort to answer the question, “Why did Ford kill the Bronco?” It turns out there is one suspect no one ever considered: A group of people that ...
3 - Going Downhill – 1979 to 1994
August 24, 2020 04:05 - 29 minutes - 27.8 MBWho killed the Bronco? In the third episode of this series the Bronco moves into middle age. This is the decade that it starts taking a series of body blows. There is increased competition from other carmakers, and complacency within Ford. In the 1990’s the Bronco hit the national headlines for two completely different but equally horrific reasons: The Bronco II rollover controversy, and the OJ Simpson highway chase. The smaller, more nimble Bronco II was built to be fuel efficient and sa...
2 - Cracks in the Pavement – 1967 to 1978
August 10, 2020 04:10 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBWas the Bronco built for a good time? Or a long time? In every crime show, there’s a period of time early in the story where everything seems to be fine, but there’s also an underlying feeling of dread. You feel like something bad is going to happen, even though there’s no obvious sign of it. For the Ford Bronco, that’s 1967. The first decade of the Bronco is a study in contrasts. The brand was popular, but sales were low. Ford wanted to own the segment, but never updated the vehicle. In t...
1 - The American Dream – 1965 to 1969
August 10, 2020 04:05 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBWho is the father of the Bronco? More than any other product, cars reflect the state of the world at the time they’re created. Think about it. You can look at a car from the 1950’s, with its giant fins and oversized engine, and know a lot about that time in history. Likewise, a fuel efficient, aerodynamic compact car will convey information about the 1980’s. So, what does the Bronco tell us about 1966, the year it was officially released? We go back to 1963 the year of the first sketch and...
Introducing Bring Back Bronco: The Untold Story
July 22, 2020 21:34 - 2 minutes - 2.3 MBThe rise, fall, and rebirth of the Ford Bronco is a metaphor for the last 50 years in America. The boxy little 4x4 represents the arc of American history dating back to the 1960’s. The emergence of the Bronco really lines up with a whole new era of America. You've got the baby boomer generation coming into their own, you've got the women's liberation movement, you've got the civil rights movement. All of these things are sort of happening in the 1960s. In the 1970’s the Bronco was unapologeti...