While most concept cars vanish after fulfilling their design role, the Ford U.S. Heritage Fleet exists to preserve them, protecting the models that inspired real-life production vehicles that might have otherwise faded away. There are quite a few Ford Bronco concepts included as part of the collection, but one stands out because of its material alone: it’s made of Styrofoam.
The Styrofoam 2021 Ford Bronco concept looks pretty damn close to the model that ultimately made it to market. Back when Blue Oval designers were nailing down the modern Bronco’s looks, they understood that reviving the beloved nameplate would require insane attention to detail.
While full-size clay concepts are far more common, that just wouldn’t cut it for the Ford Bronco. Engineers and designers created full-size Styrofoam mock-ups to bring the Bronco to life, helping them visualize the vehicle in its entirety without the restriction of a static clay model. The Styrofoam components were lightweight and easy to move, allowing the team to make real-time adjustments to the vehicle’s exterior design while providing a full-scale look at the whole picture.
This allowed designers to “feel” what a prospective Bronco buyer might while speeding up the development process by leaps and bounds. As an added bonus, the innovative and unconventional design process cut costs compared to traditional methods.
Today, the Styrofoam 2021 Ford Bronco concept lives beside plenty of Blue Oval “what-ifs,” including several that inspired the real-life Bronco. The famous 2004 Ford Bronco concept is on display in the Heritage Collection as well, which starred in the movie Rampage, alongside a yellow two-door Ford Bronco that Ford Authority checked out in the flesh in early 2023. There’s even a wild “Bronco” concept that was actually based on a chopped-up Ford Super Duty – one that made such an impression on a Ford executive that he ordered a copy built for himself.
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