2021 Bronco VIN 001 Sells For A Whopping $1,075,000 At Barrett-Jackson Auction!

Referring to the 2021 Bronco as "the car of the moment" would be an understatement. Ever since spy photographers started taking pictures of boxy test mules around Dearborn and car journalists began announcing that Ford would be building a new Bronco, fans have been ecstatic and eager to find out more. After 25 years since the last Bronco rolled off assembly lines, we're finally getting the legendary off-roader but reborn and fully remastered for the 21st century. 

The new Bronco and Bronco Sport are not just two new, run-of-the-mill models that will drown in a sea of identical, pseudo-off-road models built for soccer moms. No, the Bronco Brothers are the first proper off-road Ford SUVs in decades and they're vehicles designed to feel right at home in areas where your phone will lose reception.

And yet, these are not merely rugged machines intended for extreme users. No, they're both a perfect blend of everyday comfort and usability with fantastic off-road capabilities, which is something that we've craved for years.

To be frank, the new 2021 Bronco is a game-changing machine, and it's totally understandable why it's so popular and in-demand. It has a rebel allure, bad-boy charm, and an off-road heritage like few other cars in the world. Just seeing one parked makes you want to leave everything and run through the forest, smelling fresh air and freedom. That's why this is not just another Ford; it's a lifestyle machine and a declaration of independence on four wheels.  

The enormous popularity of the 2021 Bronco and Bronco Sport isn’t surprising --Ford anticipated high demand. Nevertheless, it wasn’t prepared for the more than 230,000 orders for the first-year models, a number it probably can't fulfill.

Due to the global pandemic and related logistical problems with part suppliers, Bronco production is finally set to commence in May, and buyers are already snapping up the Bronco Sport, which was introduced late last year. In fact, the demand for the Bronco Sport has been so significant that Ford has allowed its dealers to sell even their demo cars.

Needless to say, getting your hands on either of the new Broncos is a challenging task.

However, one lucky Bronco fan already got his hands on highly-coveted First Edition Bronco (one of only 7000 made, all of which are sold out). How, you might ask? Well, easy. It only took $1,075,000 and a couple of minutes of nerve-wracking bidding at the Barrett-Jackson auction held this past Saturday in Scottsdale, Arizona.

We knew that 2021 Bronco VIN 001 would be expensive, but the more than $1 million it ultimately sold for was way beyond our expectations! It's only appropriate that this valuable piece of Bronco history has sold for a record-setting price.

For years now, Ford has been offering its very first production examples -- bearing the VIN 0001 distinction -- for sale to the highest bidder. So far, numerous Mustangs and Shelbys have garnered insane amounts while being sold to collectors who want to have these truly unique cars in their collection.

This year, along with the 2021 Bronco, Ford offered a Mach I Mustang (also with VIN 001), which managed to fetch a whopping $500,000.

But it's not all about prestige and showing off amongst the fellow collectors. Each year, the proceeds from these exclusive sales go to charity, and this year, the proceeds from the hammer price of the 2021 Bronco First Edition will go to the National Forest Foundation and Outward Bound.

The Lightning Blue Bronco wearing VIN number 0001 is the First Edition model, which means it's a top-of-the-line version. Typically, the First Edition Broncos retail at $61,000 (before the dealer markups), and originally Ford planned on building only 3,500 units. However, rumor has it that all of those 3,500 Broncos were spoken for on the first day they were offered, so the company decided to make 3,500 more.

The First Edition comes with every piece of equipment from the Badlands Bronco, plus the desirable Sasquatch package, and on top of that, the Lux package. This includes adaptive cruise control, a premium audio system, touch screen navigation, leather interior, and much more. First Edition Broncos also come in four unique colors and special graphics, as well as all-terrain, 35-inch rubber. 

We just hope that the new owner will use the 2021 Bronco with VIN 0001 as it deserves and that he (or she) will drive it off-road. In reality, this is probably unlikely to happen, since high-priced auction cars that are as incredibly historically valuable as this one are bound to be “trailer-queens”, spending their lives in climate-controlled garages and museum collections.