While you might still be hanging on waiting for the 2020 Ford Bronco to become a reality, we would be much happier to get our hands on a totally different Bronco. This lost 1969 Bronco is a Boss, no seriously, and it’s the only one to ever exist.
The 1969 Ford Bronco Boss Prototype was made by Kar-Kraft for Ford, and you probably never knew existed. It was made to live up to the high-performance Boss name, with all the utility that the Bronco had to offer. At the heart of the build is the drivetrain, which is really the most āBossā thing about it. This exceptional Bronco was given a blueprinted 351 V8 Windsor engine, which is essentially the same engine that powered the Shelby GT350 Mustang. In addition to sharing the same engine, it also has the same 4.11:1 rearend as the Shelby.
This Bronco Boss wasnāt just a Shelby in the shell of a Bronco, the prototype was also given a high-performance 4-speed automatic transmission, and front limited-slip differential (as was the rear). It rode with Stroppeās own Baja-racing style suspension tucked underneath, and also had power steering, a rare feature for the time. Keeping it rolling were fat 10ā wide chrome wheels that sat under rear fender flares that gave the wheels and tires the clearance they needed. The Bronco Boss even borrowed a hood scoop straight from a Mercury Cougar Eliminator.
After Semon āBunkieā Knudsen, the Ford boss, was fired, the project went with him. The prototype was declared dead by ford, and ordered to be destroyed. Obviously, it somehow escaped its demise, and remains in excellent condition. For many years, the 1969 Ford Bronco Boss disappeared after a Kar-Kraft liquidation sale in late 1970. The special Bronco was rediscovered to be a Boss in late 2016 when Kar-Kraft documents surfaced to prove that the VIN was that of the long lost Bronco Boss edition.
Shawn Henry is a Texas native who has spent the majority of his career building and selling F-Bodies and Corvettes. Now studying journalism, he is taking a new direction with his love of performance vehicles.
