Before the 2021 Ford Bronco was revealed, rumors of a pickup version ran rampant. The idea of a Ford Bronco pickup made a lot of sense given the fact that the Blue Oval SUV competes directly with the Jeep Wrangler, which has its own pickup version in the Gladiator. Ford Authority rendered two- and four-door versions of the Bronco pickup last year, but as we reported back in August, this project has officially been canceled, which means that one-off builds like this 2021 Ford Bronco pickup from the suspension parts makers at BDS are as close as we’ll get. And that’s a shame, given how good it looked under the lights at the 2021 SEMA Show.
BDS officially refers to its Ford Bronco pickup as a “half-top,” but it is essentially a Bronco SUV that’s has had its rear cargo area converted into a bed. The resulting show rig started life as a two-door Black Diamond trimmed SUV, but it has taken on a fire-rescue theme and is designed to be capable of fighting fires and helping those in need, no matter how rugged the terrain might get.
In that regard, the BDS “Fire Command” Bronco, as it’s officially known, is a bit of a throwback to the early Broncos that were used by a number of rural fire departments around the U.S. decades ago. This particular rig is powered by Ford’s 2.3L EcoBoost I-4, which has been enhanced with a Ford Performance Borla cat-back exhaust and is mated to a seven-speed manual transmission.
Underneath, this Bronco has been fortified with a BDS four-inch DSC coilover lift kit, Uniball upper control arms and adjustable rear control arms, Fox 2.5 Elite Series coilovers with remote reservoirs, and JKS control arm skid plates. That gear makes room for a set of 17×9-inch Method Race Series 106 wheels and 37-inch Nitto Trail Grappler tires.
The exterior of the BDS Bronco pickup has received a host of upgrades as well, including Rigid/Ford Performance 4-inch LED a-pillar lights, a Warn VR Evo winch, an ARB jack, a Yakima LoadWarrior basket, and additional Rigid lighting on the roof, bed rack, and under the Bronco’s body. Additional goodies include emergency flashers, the aforementioned custom half top conversion, a drop tailgate, custom tonneau cover, Crawltek front and rear bumpers, rock sliders, a tray system, and all the stuff a firefighter would want out on the job such as an ax and shovel.
Even though it was built using a custom kit, we imagine that at least one aftermarket company will begin offering pickup conversion kits like this one to customers in the coming months. After all, there are plenty of eager Bronco fans out there clamoring for one.
We’ll have more cool builds like this to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Bronco news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.
Comments
Another Dump idea from Jim Farley not bring the BRONCO truck to market
Yes sure your right I mean after all look at the shortage of selection of trucks there is out there I mean come on . Gosh without the Bronco being unique there are no other pickup trucks out there to choose from. Sure so let’s make the Bronco a pickup truck .
What I want to see is someone putting a four door Bronco body on a Ranger length frame with the rear of the body extended to make a usable length bed. In other words, bring the Bronco pickup rendering to life. And while you’re at it, drop a Coyote between the fenders.
What I hope to never see is someone putting a four-door Bronco body on a Ranger length frame with the rear of the bed extended that it will be so long and look like a four-door crew cab and ruin the look of the Bronco.
Exactly. Although I’m sure it would be profitable, but that market is served by the Ranger crew cab. I’m betting the next gen will offer more powertrain options in our market.
FCA/Stellantis/Chrysler/whatever didnt have a midsize pickup already, so more power to them. but I still think they should’ve offered it with a smaller cab option.
I’m a Bronco fan clamoring for a pickup, but not if it’s a long-as-a-football-field Gladiator type.
This two door with a small bed is perfect for fishing and hunting. You dont need much space to carry your game (and materials), and you certainly don’t want it (the game) in the cab with you if possible. This is the ideal solution. Smaller and more maneuverable off road than any current pickup offered.
Before I bought a Gladiator-like Bronco variant, I’d just buy a Ranger crew cab and save thousands in the process.