Police cars pursue the Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase on June 17, 1994, on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles.
Vinnie Zuffante | Archive Photos | Getty Images
The global debut of the new Ford Bronco, one of the most highly anticipated products from the automaker in years, will occur July 9. But it might be carrying some unwanted baggage.
The resurrected SUV is scheduled to be unveiled on O.J. Simpson’s birthday. The former football star was infamously involved in a nationally televised police chase with a 1993 Ford Bronco following the death of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994.
Simpson, a suspect who was charged and then acquitted of the murders, was a passenger in the white SUV. Al Cowlings, a friend and former teammate, drove the vehicle on the I-405 highway during a slow-speed chase in Southern California. Millions of people tuned in to watch the chase on June 17, 1994.
Jiyan Cadiz, a spokesman for Ford Motor, said Tuesday that the “date is purely coincidental.” Ford was expected to unveil the vehicle earlier this spring but canceled the event due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This isn’t the first time the chase has been attached to the upcoming Bronco. On social media, Ford in February asked users for their favorite memories of the Bronco. While many of the posts were people sharing their stories, some also shared images of the police chase and Simpson in the Bronco.
The debut of the Bronco has been anticipated for years. Ford initially confirmed its return in January 2017.
Ford executives have promised the Bronco will live up to its reputation as a classic off-road SUV, which returns for the first time since 1996. The 2021 Bronco is expected to be squarely positioned against Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep brand.
“The Bronco lineup has big upside potential in the growing off-road category,” Ford Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley told investors last week during a Deutsche Bank conference. “Jeep dominates and accounts for a significant portion of (Fiat Chrysler’s) revenue and global profit. This is our opportunity.”
Ford is expected to offer a “Bronco family” of vehicles, including reports of a smaller SUV.
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