BUCKING BRONCO

THE NEW 2021 FORD BRONCO HAS BEEN STEALING ALL THE HEADLINES OF LATE, BUT HOW ABOUT A GOOD OL’ AUSTRALIAN-ASSEMBLED ONE THAT HAS BEEN PREPPED FOR ADVENTURE?

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

THE Ford Bronco might be one of the classic American 4x4 vehicles, but there was a time in its 55-year history when they were made and sold in Australia. Well, they were assembled here, at least, in Ford’s local factory between the years 1981 to ’87. But with a selling price of around $15,000 the Bronco was priced like a Range Rover in Australia, so it was never a huge success while the four-wheel drives from Datsun and Toyota were prominent.

Graham Cottam remembers the Aussie Broncos well and sought out a tidy example when he was looking for a 4WD in recent times.

“I always liked this model back in the ’80s,” recalls Graham. “The Bronco has a good reputation as a vehicle that can go anywhere.”

Graham found this 1983 Bronco XLT with a surprisingly low 60,000km on the clock and in very good condition.

“It had been resprayed and had a very clean chassis,” he says. “Someone had spent a lot of money on it before I bought it.”

CLEVELAND HORSES

DESPITE its good looks, the Bronco still needed some freshening up to get it to what you see here. The Australian Broncos were fitted with Australian-made engines, either the in-line six-cylinder or the 351 Cleveland V8. This one has the V8 and it was rebuilt by Lakeside Automotive in Melbourne.