Читать книгу Ford Bronco: A History of Ford's Legendary 4x4 - Todd Zuercher - Страница 9

As many of you know, I’ve basically been a Ford guy for most of my career—whether it was racing a Ford product or a race car powered by Ford—and over the years, I had some pretty good success. When I decided to reduce my oval track and road racing schedules, an opportunity came my way via my old friend Bill Stroppe, who at a party one night, challenged me to try off-road racing. My reaction was that I didn’t think that it would be my bag. Whereupon Bill, ever the master at goading someone on, replied that I probably wasn’t man enough. Well, that was like waving a red flag at a bull, and Bill got exactly what he wanted. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Ford Bronco, to me, was the perfect vehicle; it had all kinds of uses, and buyers just loved it because it could do just about anything on the street or highway. Needless to say, it also turned out to be a fabulous platform for off-road adventures of all kinds, including racing. I can hardly believe that this vehicle was introduced by Ford to the public 53 years ago, and yet today it is still highly sought after for restoration purposes and nostalgia events. Not only that, the Bronco is just plain fun to drive.

Todd Zuercher and I have known each other for several years, and he is still, to me, the most enthusiastic Bronco owner and historian I’ve ever met. You will feel his pride of Bronco history exuding from these pages. It is truly a pleasure and honor for me to be asked to write the foreword to this chronicle and pictorial record of the long Bronco history. Long live the Ford Bronco!

Capturing the spirit of the evening, Parnelli Jones shared a story during the Early Bronco Registry’s “Evening with the Legends” held during the Bronco 40th Anniversary Celebration in 2006. (Photo Courtesy Steve Sampson)

Parnelli Jones

January 14, 2019