Ford to Debut 2021 Bronco on O.J. Simpson’s Birthday

Delayed due to the novel coronavirus global pandemic, Ford announced it will debut its 2021 Bronco on July 9 — O.J. Simpson’s birthday.

As the flagship of Ford’s new Bronco “family” of vehicles, the new sport utility vehicle was originally slated for a March 2020 debut. But global health crises have a way of disrupting schedules, and COVID-19 managed to push back the launch. The new date? July 9. The day former football legend O.J. Simpson will turn 73.

For years, the Ford Bronco has been primarily associated with the nationally televised low-speed, 60-mile police pursuit of O.J. Simpson, who had been charged with the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Autoline.tv host John McElroy was shocked. “I gotta believe this is a mistake. Didn’t anybody look at the calendar?” he asked. “Ford Motor Co. does not want to correlate the launch of such an iconic and important vehicle with a police chase with a notorious [person].”

But Ford North America product communications manager shrugged off the concern: “We’re going to reveal Bronco just like we said we would on July 9,” he told the Detroit Free Press, who originally spotted the coinciding dates.

Before the reveal, photos of the vehicle have already leaked online. The model shown is, of course, white.

Whoops.