When Ford first released the Mustang in 1964, they anticipated it would be a success, but underestimated by how much. They projected they'd sell 100,000 units in its first year. Instead they sold 22,000 on its first day on the market, and had moved 400,000 units by the end of that year.

In 1965 they followed up with what would become another iconic vehicle: The Ford Bronco. Interestingly, at the time this was envisioned as the Mustang's burlier brother; Ford billed it as "The world's first four-wheel-drive sports car."

Six decades later, Ford's design squad was tasked with creating a concept Bronco that would capture the spirit of the original. "Both our Head of Design Todd Willing and Director Paul Wraith have challenged us to remember this key aspect of the OG Bronco: the compelling simplicity," writes Bronco Chief Designer Robert Gelardi. "How do we make just the essential cool? It's relatively easy to keep adding elements. It's much harder to create something compelling when you keep asking yourself 'What can I take away?'"

We simplified the seating, pared back the floor, and created a utilitarian rear compartment that echoes the original. And outside, we sourced machined Fifteen52 Analog wheels, updated the tailgate to a fold-down design with the "FORD" wordmark stamped into the metal, and modified the front and rear bumper to more closely resemble the original Bronco.

This philosophy of intentional reduction guided our approach to modernizing a classic. We had a great baseline with the sixth-generation Bronco. With this concept, we took the liberty to simplify the execution even further with a completely open roadster.

This exercise reinforced something we always keep in mind: the design doesn't stop when we're done – it's only just begun. We want to imagine how our customers will make their Broncos their own, because that's fundamental to the Bronco story.

With the Roadster Concept, we want Bronco enthusiasts to know as we move into the future, we always remember our past.

This concept is our reminder that we continue to hold Bronco's original off-road mission in our goals. Because sometimes, the most profound statement you can make is knowing exactly what to leave out.

At press time there were no production plans. We imagine that might change as word spreads.