Ford Broncos become Iceland’s iconic jeeps

Ford Bronco owners will display their vintage vehicles in Reykjavík on Saturday, marking 60 years since the first Broncos arrived in Iceland, mbl.is reports. The exhibition will take place at Brimborg’s premises on Bíldshöfði from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ólafur Sæmundsson, who is helping organise the event, described the vehicles as unique. Broncos were once common in Iceland, particularly models from 1966 and 1974. Some remain on the roads today and are prized possessions for their owners.

The exhibition will feature restored Broncos, including Ólafur’s 1974 model. He said the vehicle has had only three owners and is in near-new condition. It has an eight-cylinder engine producing 200 horsepower.

Ólafur said his interest in Broncos dates back to his childhood in Patreksfjörður, where his father ran the Logi machine workshop and needed a powerful jeep for his work. The vehicle also served as the family car.

“I remember many Broncos in Patreksfjörður around 1980,” Ólafur said. Doctors arriving to work at the hospital often drove them, as did people from higher levels of society. Over time, however, the vehicles became common among people from all walks of life.

He said jeeps were particularly useful in western Iceland for crossing mountain roads and reaching remote headlands. People in southern Iceland, meanwhile, remember taking Broncos to Þórsmörk. The vehicles helped make Iceland’s highlands more accessible to the public, he said.

Ford began producing the Bronco in 1965 as a rival to the Willys and International Scout in the rapidly expanding American jeep market. According to Örn Sigurðsson’s book Jeppar í lífi þjóðar, 20,000 vehicles were produced in the first batch at factories in the United States, including 500 that were sent to Iceland.

The Broncos sold well through Ford’s two Icelandic representatives, Sveinn Egilsson and Kr. Kristjánsson. The strongest year was 1974, when 750 Broncos were imported and sold in Iceland.

Owners also exchange stories and photographs through the Facebook group Bronco á Íslandi and regularly organise gatherings. A large exhibition was held several years ago, and organisers are now bringing the community together again.