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What could have been.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-bronco-reborn-back-design-concept/
The Bronco went away in 1996, but even before the macho 2004 concept, Ford designers planned a comeback.
A "what could have been" story is typically very entertaining. And wouldn't you know it, that sort of story exists for the Ford Bronco.
While it wasn't until 2017 that Ford announced the beloved off-road SUV would officially return, the Blue Oval came close to ushering the icon back into the world about two decades ago. The photos you see here portray how it was supposed to look.
The photos were quietly tucked away with some other Bronco information distributed in July, which we only discovered recently. Bloomberg first reported on the story behind the photos last month. While the name Bronco doesn't appear once alongside them, this was absolutely legitimate Bronco work. The story goes that a team from the "Underground" designers worked on the project without any approval from upper management back in 1999. What became of the creative brainstorming is U260. In Ford-speak, that's "utility," "two doors" and the T6 platform the old Ranger rode on.
Once Ford brass did see the project, they were smitten and it was full speed ahead. However, a couple of things happened, per the report. Around the same time U260 was under development, the Ford Explorer's rollover scandal unfolded. That scrapped U260 as management tightened Ford's belt.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-bronco-reborn-back-design-concept/
The Bronco went away in 1996, but even before the macho 2004 concept, Ford designers planned a comeback.
A "what could have been" story is typically very entertaining. And wouldn't you know it, that sort of story exists for the Ford Bronco.
While it wasn't until 2017 that Ford announced the beloved off-road SUV would officially return, the Blue Oval came close to ushering the icon back into the world about two decades ago. The photos you see here portray how it was supposed to look.
The photos were quietly tucked away with some other Bronco information distributed in July, which we only discovered recently. Bloomberg first reported on the story behind the photos last month. While the name Bronco doesn't appear once alongside them, this was absolutely legitimate Bronco work. The story goes that a team from the "Underground" designers worked on the project without any approval from upper management back in 1999. What became of the creative brainstorming is U260. In Ford-speak, that's "utility," "two doors" and the T6 platform the old Ranger rode on.
Once Ford brass did see the project, they were smitten and it was full speed ahead. However, a couple of things happened, per the report. Around the same time U260 was under development, the Ford Explorer's rollover scandal unfolded. That scrapped U260 as management tightened Ford's belt.
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