2021
Bought NewChildhood Dream, Rebooted

2021 Ford Bronco

Area 51 · Bought new during the shortage · West Michigan

The Story

The first thing I ever really learned to drive was an old Jeep Willys. It had no top, and you could take it anywhere — that combination rewired me early. By high school my parents were daring enough to let me have a 1973 CJ5 with the 304 V8 and a fiberglass body. It was fast, it was fun, and I have been chasing that feeling ever since.

I found this one during COVID, when Broncos were nearly impossible to get. I scoured Facebook Marketplace until one finally turned up at Albion Motors, and I bought it new — something I never do. Three hundred horsepower, four doors, and independent front suspension give it the drivability and safety the old Jeeps never had, wrapped in styling that remembers exactly where it came from. Top off, it still goes anywhere. Some things you don’t outgrow.

R
Ross N.Custodian since 2021 · 2 in the stable · 2 in the legacy gallery
View full garage →

Vital Stats

Output
300 hp
Config
4-Door
Suspension
Independent Front
Color
Area 51
Acquired
New · 2021
Status
Adventure Rig

Just showing — this one isn’t on the market.

Chassis Timeline

The Prologue
A Willys and a ’73 CJ5
Learned on a topless Jeep Willys; high school brought a CJ5 with a 304 V8 and a fiberglass body. This chassis exists because of those two.
2021
Found during the Bronco shortage
Months of scouring Facebook Marketplace ended at Albion Motors.
2021
Purchased new — a first
“I don’t buy new. This was the exception.”
2026
Trail duty with the next generation
Top off, two-tracks, the back seats full. Doing exactly what it was bought to do.

Down the Rabbit Hole