7 Of The Coolest Looking Ford Bronco Concepts Ever Revealed

Before the rise of the SUV, rugged off-road vehicles were not Ford's forte. The American automaker had built pickup trucks since 1917, and its plants produced some of the century's most popular and best-looking Ford trucks.

The introduction of the Willys MB Jeep as a response to the necessities of the Second World War shifted the paradigm of what an off-road vehicle could be. Twenty years after the war, Ford had left that arena to the likes of Jeep and International Harvester. The Detroit automaker then presented the public with a vehicle that became legendary.

Ford built the original Bronco for a generation that wanted to go places they hadn't been before. Over five generations and 30 years, it carved its place into automotive history. When the final Bronco rolled off the line in 1996, it left a hole in the hearts of its fans.

In July 2020, Ford announced that the Bronco would return, leaving car nuts to wonder what the new Bronco would look like. How would it feel? Would it have a retro charm like the reimagined fifth-generation Mustang? Would it be a new chapter in a long history? The 2021 Ford Bronco answered many of those questions, but it posed others.

Despite, or perhaps because of, its absence, designers and dreamers pontificated on what a Bronco could and should be. Some interesting Bronco concepts have hit the drawing board. Join us as we examine some of the coolest-looking Ford Bronco concepts ever revealed.

In the name of outdoor fun, Ford developed the concept of a dune buggy-style Bronco the same year the regular Bronco hit the market. With custom Golden Saddle Pearl paint, faux walnut paneling, and a roll bar complete with headrests, the Dune Duster debuted at the 1966 Detroit Auto Show.

Ford developed the customized Bronc at its design center in Michigan before handing it off to George Barris of Barris Kustom to build. If that name rings a bell, it might be because Barris was one of Hollywood's go-to builders for decades. The Dune Duster is in good company coming out of the same process that brought us Adam West's Batmobile, KITT from Knight Rider, the Munster's spooky hot rods, and the beat-up jalopy of Beverly Hillbillies fame.

In addition to the custom paint, Barris adorned the Duster with a walnut steering wheel, suede-and-leather bucket seats, and a suede-and-walnut instrument panel. The Dune Duster did its job, drumming up excitement over the new Bronco and its potential, even if it was more good looks than authentic performance. It never made it to production, but it has been doing the auto show rounds since, cementing itself as a piece of Bronco history.

If Jurassic Park had come out in the early 1980s and starred Paul Hogan, its vehicles might have looked like the 1980 Bronco Lobo Concept. The style is steeped in the 1980s design ethos, instantly pinned to one of the most infamous decades in auto design. But dang, if it isn't cool.

Debuting at the 1981 Chicago with some genuinely unique (some might say bizarre) features, the Montana Lobo would never be a mainstream production model, but it certainly has its place in history. The entire thing is a vibe, from its hemp-upholstered rear seats to its plexiglass bubble doors.

Inside, a then-futuristic-but-now-hopelessly-dated instrument cluster dazzled drivers with its digitally presented data. Need to have a word with your passengers in the rear? Slide open the sliding-glass door separating the bed from the cockpit, or broadcast them a message from the gnarly whip-antenna.

Don't let the Hollywood facade fool you. Under the hood, the Montana packs Ford's beloved 5.0-liter V8 and a solid Dana 44 axle. Along with a built-in loading ramp and exterior storage, the Montana Lobo might have been a concept, but we wouldn't mind taking it to the mountains and seeing what it could do (Indiana Jones adventure man not included).

Speaking of retro-futurism, the Bronco DM-1 appeared in 1990 as a smooth reimagining of the rough-and-ready SUV. The DM-1 was born from the minds of an art student. Ford had sponsored a contest for industrial art students, with the winning entry coming from the mind of Derek Milsap, whom Ford honored by using his initials for the name.

With the air of a jacked-up Metro, its seamless lines give it the appearance of a paddy wagon Judge Dredd would order up to transport prisoners. Nobody would accuse the DM-1 of being overpowered. With a 2.8-liter powerplant making 115 horsepower, the framework of an Escort lurked beneath the futuristic body panels. It hardly stayed true to the mission and mindset of the Bronco line, but it was a concept, after all.

The interior was as smooth and streamlined as its outward appearance, featuring a steering wheel with a flattened lower portion — something we've seen in modern cars recently. The DM-1 also featured a version of GPS well before it became feasible, let alone standard, to include the technology in production cars.

Ford debuted the DM-1 at the Chicago Auto Show in 1990, and though nothing like it ever went into production with the Bronco name on it, it sticks in our minds as one of the coolest Bronco concepts out there.

A few years after the DM-1 splashed, another yellow Bronco concept arrived. This time, it was a little more recognizable as the potential heir of the Bronco lineage. Appearing to be styled from the existing line of Broncos, the Boss looked like a contemporary model mixed up with the '60s vintage with some Montana Lobo mixed in.

Back in 1969, Ford toyed with the idea of developing a Boss Bronco along the lines of the Boss Mustang, a performance version of what was already a popular and capable vehicle. Unfortunately for Bronco fans, the Boss idea was never put into production, but much later, we got this.

With a squared-off front end reminiscent of the era's Rangers complemented by a flying buttress rear end, pickup-style tailgate, and sliding hatch along the lines of a modern Cybertruck, the Boss was ahead of its time while inspiring nostalgia for the trucks of the '90s. Ford claimed the concept would focus on a comfortable riding experience and that they could produce the Boss if they wanted.

Why do you torture us so, Ford?

Some of the coolest muscle cars of the 1960s saw significant revivals in the 21st century, beginning with the fifth-generation Mustang and proceeding through the modern Challengers, Chargers, and Camaros. There's no doubt that automakers struck on something timeless in the golden age of muscle, and that's squarely where the Bronco U260 concept sits.

It's tempting to think of the U260, which appeared around the turn of the millennium, as the Bronco's past and future. With blocky styling reminiscent of the first couple of generations, it doesn't take much imagination to draw similarities between the first generation and the Bronco that came out as a production vehicle in 2021.

The U260's existence was only discovered when Ford released photos and information about the upcoming revival Bronco in July 2020. Rumors say a team of unsanctioned designers secretly developed the concept in 2000, only four years after the Bronco's discontinuation. It would take Ford two more decades to bring it back. There is no word on just how much the U260 inspired the modern design, but it's easy to imagine there may be a connection.

The next major Bronco concept came in 2004 with this silver Lego fever dream, and we have to admit, it's pretty cool. If someone told us in 2004 that this was the next Bronco, we would have believed them over the U260.

J. Mays, then head of Ford's design studio, had been responsible for the revival of the Beetle when he worked at Volkswagen of America. Reviving beloved nameplates seems to be his strong suit. The robust and aggressive aesthetic makes the 2004 concept look like it could transport climbers to the peak of Everest.

Unfortunately, the concept is primarily "form over function." Equipped with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel, it could reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour, but it is essentially a rolling chassis. After construction, it took up space in a warehouse for over a decade until a Hollywood star brought it back from the dead.

2018's "Rampage," starring Dwayne Johnson, called for the superstar's character to save the world from behind the wheel of a Wrangler. A stalwart Ford fan, Johnson suggested a Ford product instead, and someone dusted off the 2004 concept for action. As a result, the concept became a bonafide Hollywood star. We have to admit, it looks the part.

It's not often that a concept car becomes a fully produced product, but that's what happened with the Bronco OG Concept. Excitement hit a fever pitch for the return of the Bronco when Ford unveiled the OG Concept at the Bronco Super Celebration East in Townsend, Tennessee.

What started as a trail rider to compete with the likes of the Scout and Wrangler reached its zenith in 2020. Based on the production Bronco, the OG was designed to be the ultimate in off-road capability.

The OG included everything from a high-performance off-road suspension, Ford's 2.7-liter EcoBoost (where's the Coyote?) mated to a 10-speed transmission, steel bumpers with a winch, and even a two-person Yakima tent mounted on the roof rack along with RIGID POD lights and a light bar. The rear comes with a kitchen set up for camping, including a stove, refrigerator, and water tank.

Essentially, the OG is the high-water mark of off-grid capability. The fact that it's a concept that any civilian could own only makes it better. It's not some pie-in-the-sky concept. Even though it looks fairly stock at a glance, the new Broncos have their own flair.