Free Printable Ford Bronco Coloring Page with PDF Sheet

Ford Bronco: History & Fun Facts

The Ford Bronco is recognizable for an upright stance, exposed body lines, and a tall greenhouse that lets light into the cabin. The hood sits flat, the wheel arches are nearly square, and the roof rack rails frame the top - clear cues that this SUV is built for trails, not just commuting.

1966 First Generation and Stroppe Baja Racing

The original Ford Bronco went on sale in 1966 as a compact off-roader competing with the Jeep CJ-5 and the International Scout. Builder Bill Stroppe turned the early Bronco into a desert-racing legend, winning the Baja 1000 and other off-road events. That first-gen run lasted from 1966 to 1977 and set the personality the modern Bronco still copies.

Ford originally built three body styles on that first Bronco chassis: a two-door wagon, a roadster with no doors or top, and a half-cab pickup meant for ranch work. The roadster and half-cab sold in small numbers and disappeared after only a couple of years, leaving the wagon as the shape most people remember. Under the hood, the earliest Broncos ran a 170-cubic-inch inline-six before Ford added a 289-cubic-inch V8 option in 1966, giving buyers a choice between fuel economy and extra muscle for towing and trail driving.

Five Generations and the 1996 Discontinuation

Across five generations the Bronco grew from a compact off-roader into a full-size SUV based on the F-150. The 1992-1996 fifth generation famously played a role in the 1994 OJ Simpson police chase. Ford discontinued the Bronco after 1996 as buyers moved toward four-door SUVs like the Expedition and Explorer.

The second generation, built from 1978 to 1979, jumped in size dramatically because Ford based it on the F-100 pickup platform, and that bigger body carried through the third and fourth generations sold into the early 1990s. Those years brought a removable fiberglass hardtop over the rear cargo area, a feature ranchers and hunters liked because it let the Bronco haul gear like a pickup while still seating a family up front.

Sixth-Generation 2021 Revival

Ford brought the Bronco back in 2021 as a sixth-generation body-on-frame SUV available in two-door and four-door bodies. It was designed as a direct rival to the Jeep Wrangler, with removable doors, a removable roof, frame-mounted side mirrors so the doors can come off without losing mirrors, and a folding windshield on early trims.

Ford built anticipation for the relaunch by opening the Bronco Off-Roadeo, a set of driving schools in Texas, Nevada, Vermont, and Michigan where new owners could learn rock crawling and water fording on real trails before ever taking their SUV off-road at home. The color palette also leaned into the original truck's playful side, with names like Cactus Gray, Cyber Orange, and Area 51 pulling from the same bold-hue tradition Ford used on Broncos back in the 1970s.

EcoBoost Power and 7-Speed Manual

The modern Bronco uses a 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder making 300 horsepower, or an optional 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 producing 330 horsepower. A 7-speed Getrag manual transmission is offered - six normal gears plus a crawler gear for slow rock crawling, an unusual feature in a modern SUV.

Sasquatch Package and GOAT Modes

The Sasquatch package adds 35-inch tires, locking front and rear differentials, Bilstein position-sensitive shocks, and 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels. The Bronco also uses GOAT (Goes Over Any Terrain) drive modes that let drivers pick settings for mud, sand, rock, snow, and Baja-style desert running.

A high-performance Raptor version joined the lineup in 2022 with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 rated near 400 horsepower, long-travel suspension, and front tow hooks strong enough for genuine desert racing. Ford tests every Bronco Raptor on the same kind of rough terrain the original Baja Broncos raced across, keeping a direct line between the 1966 desert racer and the newest trucks rolling off the line.

Designed for the Page

A Bronco outline gives kids a lot of strong shapes to work with - the boxy body, the upright greenhouse, the square wheel arches, and the roof rack rails. Those features make it easier to teach color choices, light and shadow concepts, and how vehicle proportions help an SUV look ready for the trail.