US$59,500.00 The booming market for early Ford Broncos broke out of the corral years ago. But there are still exceptional examples to be found, including this completely restored 1966 Ford Bronco U13 Roadster. Ford introduced the Bronco as an All-Purpose Vehicle. The Bronco came as a complete surprise to most, announced on August 11, 1965 ready to appear in dealer showrooms in early September as a 1966 model. Ford General Manager Donald Frey described the new Bronco as a combination of both a car and truck “for men and women who seek adventure as well as practical transportation”. The Bronco was designed to go nearly anywhere and do nearly anything. Clearly, Ford Motor Company had Jeep in their crosshairs. Maybe the most surprising part of the Bronco lineup as we know it today, though, was the Bronco U13 Roadster. This Bronco was the most Jeep-like of all, with cut-outs for doors to ease entry and exit, a windshield that folded flat and a canvas-backed vinyl top and doors that came only as options. Other new Bronco models provided conventional doors and hardtops.Viewed from the perspective of fifty years, the Bronco Roadster looks even more Jeep-like. Flat metal panels and exposed overlapping seams are shamelessly visible both in the interior and under the hood. The exposed metal floor is painted body color and the dashboard is also plain painted metal. Warn hubs in the center of the front wheels require the driver to jump down to the ground and turn the hubs manually before pressing a ridiculously tall black shift lever into high or low 4-wheel drive ranges. Body-colored fiberglass door inserts were the only concession to refinement. Anyone who has ever driven a Jeep CJ will even recognize some of the switchgear and the pedal placement. The standard engine was...