Ford to tell 'untold story' of the Bronco's return in new podcast

The first 30 years of the Ford Bronco's history intersected with major events in American history, from the Vietnam War to the civil rights movement to one of the most famous police chases of all time.

Now, as the Blue Oval prepares to bring back one of its most iconic vehicles after nearly 25 years, a new, eight-part podcast series will dive into the history of the vehicle, the historic moments with which it is intertwined, and the decades-long effort to resurrect it.

On Aug. 10, Ford will launch "Bring Back Bronco," what it describes as a journalistic look at the history of the SUV. The series will be hosted by former NPR transportation and economics correspondent Sonari Glinton, now a principal at DeLite Media. The Dearborn automaker announced the series in a trailer released Tuesday. 

The podcast will tell the story of the Bronco, from its 1966 debut to its discontinuation in 1996, after which the SUV's cult-like following grew stronger. Interview subjects will include Bronco racers, restorer and 10 Ford executives who were part of the effort to reintroduce the off-road SUV, among others. 

Among the moments in Bronco's history into which the podcast will delve are the infamous 1994 slow-speed chase on which football legend O.J. Simpson led police officers, following the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. The series will also tell the story of the "Bronco Underground," the group of Ford employees who worked for more than 20 years to bring the vehicle back.

Earlier this month, Ford began accepting reservations and revealed the all-new 2021 Bronco, which will be a family of vehicles including two-door, four-door and Sport models. The two- and four-door Bronco, which will be built at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, is scheduled to go on sale in the spring of next year.

"Bring Back Bronco" will use the vehicle as a lens to examine the political, social and cultural climate of the eras in which it existed. Detroit history expert Bailey Sisoy-Moore will be a guest storyteller.

The podcast, which will debut with two episodes on Aug. 10 and thereafter, features new episodes every other Monday, will be available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else listeners find podcasts. The episodes, plus photos, documents, early sketches of the original and 2021 Bronco, and oral histories from Ford employees and Bronco fans, will be posted at broncopodcast.ford.com starting Aug. 10.

jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @JGrzelewski