AKA ‘Lil Bucky’
In 1986 Ford Motor Company gave Motor Trend Magazine a 1987 Ford Bronco II to customize as a concept vehicle. During that time a Motor Trend staffer nicknamed the Bronco II ‘Lil Bucky’. The Bronco II travelled the country as part of the Ford Motor Company display at major auto shows. Motor Trend printed their story about the Bronco II in their June 1987 issue of Motor Trend magazine (see reprint below).
After its short-lived fame Motor Trend used it as a chase car for photo shoots until the mid 90s. Once Motor Trend was done with it, the Bronco II was parked under a skyscraper in Los Angeles. Motor Trend sold it in the early 2000s to one of their editors Ron Sessions who used it for a few years as a daily driver. He moved to Michigan to do work for GM and drove Lil Bucky 3,000 miles from California to Michigan. The Bronco II was sold to the grandfather of our forum member Mason (‘mpduncan35’) to ensure it wouldn’t be daily driven in Michigan and rust away.
The Bronco II has just over 84k miles and pretty much all of the options including Eddie Bauer interior, 5-speed manual, electronic Touch-Drive 4×4, 3.45 gears, power windows/locks, cruise control, rear wiper, rear defrost, AC, AM/FM radio, cargo cover, center console, and tilt wheel. Mason saw that it needed attention, so he replaced the gas tank, sending unit, heater core, striker bushings, rear lift gate struts, battery, taillights and then detailed it.
It’s a unique vehicle. Unfortunately, it no longer has the same wheels that it was originally built with. The original wheels were 5-spoke and it now has modern 6-spoke wheels. It would look good with some American Racing AR23 wheels for a more period correct look. Mason is looking for an XLS front air dam to replace the missing one, and it needs an all-black grill instead of the one trimmed in chrome.
Original June of 1987 Motor Trend Magazine Story
NOTE: I typed this out so it would be easily read instead of trying to read the story in the images below.
Ford’s Bronco II is one of the most popular sport utility vehicles on the market today. It’s a versatile 4×4, suitable for serious off-roading or just wheeling the family out to the country club. Under the hood is the strongest V-6 engine available in its class (140 hp), fitted with electronic fuel injection and matched to either a 5-speed manual transmission or an automatic.
Early last year, the folks at Ford offered us a chance to design and personalize a Bronco with a look we thought would be appropriate for Motor Trend. Never ones to turn down a chance to show off, we jumped at the chance. The plan was for us to come up with a theme for the little 4-wheeler and submit sample drawings to the Ford Marketing people; if they liked what they saw, we would get a vehicle and the go-ahead to make the modifications. When the mods were finished, it would go on the auto-show circuit for 1987.
The Motor Trend Bronco II is out there crisscrossing the country as part of the Ford Motor Company display at major auto shows. Along with our Bronco II, there’s a Ford Aerostar Van personalized by Hot Rod magazine, a Ford Ranger Supercab personalized by Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine, and a Ford Ranger 2WD Supercab personalized by Car Craft Magazine.
The clean, smooth lines of the Bronco II drawn by Steve Stanford were transformed into the reality of sheet metal by Larry Ruth, who fabricated the new grill, transplanted the hood scoop of an SVO Mustang into the hood of the Bronco II, and installed a Ford-supplied ground-effects side-skirt kit from the XLS model. Ruth also removed the rubber strips from the bumpers and filled the holes so the monochrome white paint scheme would work. He removed the spare tire rack and fiberglassed the holes in the corner of the bodywork. Ruth then removed the radio antenna and all the emblems and filled those holes as well.
The Bronco II was prepped for painting by Rob Spoon of Mission Hills, California, and then painted by Bill Carter of Carter Pro Paint. He used Ditzler primer, sealer, and color, selecting shades from the Ford light-truck and heavy-duty catalog for easy color match in the event of an accident or later repaint.
Stanford, the artist who designed the overall paint scheme, did the pinstripe and Motor Trend logo himself, the first time he has actually worked on a vehicle he helped design. Before the Bronco II left for the show circuit, it was detailed by Body Beautiful in Van Nuys, California. Project coordinator Mike Johnson then had a set of 10R-15LT Goodyear Wrangler radial tires mounted on Progressive wheels that had been powder-painted white to match the side skirts and bumpers. The final step was to have the windows tinted a medium 35% tint at Coast-to-Coast Glass Tinting in Van Nuys, and to install the Per-Lux for lamps before loading it on the trailer for the year long auto show appearances.
While I like the Bronco II that was built, I really like this rendering and wish the Bronco II would have been built with this lower stance and SVO grill and decals.
Original Forum Submission: 1987 Bronco ii Motor Trend Magazine Concept Vehicle, what if SVO did a B2?
Photo Gallery
About The Author
Jim Oaks is a longtime Ford truck and SUV enthusiast and the founder of The Ranger Station and Bronco II Corral. With decades of hands-on experience, he writes both technical and non-technical articles covering the Ford Bronco II, including mechanical systems, factory engineering, common upgrades, and detailed feature vehicle write-ups.
In addition to technical content, Jim documents Bronco II history, rare factory and aftermarket models, production details, and original Ford marketing materials. His work is based on firsthand experience, original documentation, and long-term involvement in the Ford enthusiast community.
Through his sites, Jim has built comprehensive reference libraries that serve owners, builders, restorers, collectors, and historians, helping preserve the Bronco II’s technical knowledge and historical significance.
