Giddy up. My new dream car is a truck

I’ve decided I want a Ford Bronco. Not the bloated monster-truck style Bronco or even the bouncy Bronco II, but the square Bronco from the mid-seventies. The one with the small tires and wheels that made it look like it was hiking up its pant legs to wade across a creek. It’s the simple design and square, rugged lines that appeal to me, and to others like newsman Chris Gailus, who, with his Bronco, was the subject of the “My Car” feature in Friday’s Globe Drive. A 1976 Bronco was even featured in the auctions section of last month’s Automobile, where a nicely restored one sold for US$37,000. And it’s also the choice of some hipsters, particularly those with a taste for classic American style and design.

I think what we all like about the Bronco are its clean lines and overall simplicity, because let’s face it, simplicity is not often found in new cars. To me, it’s a classic that’s not a classic of my father’s generation but of mine. And, like the new Range Rover Evoque, it’s a cool truck that can also be considered a really cool car.

While I still want a Porsche 911, if someone were to appear at my door and offer me a choice of a new 911 or an old Bronco, I’d take the Porsche. Then I’d sell it and buy a slightly older Porsche. Then I’d take what’s left over and buy a Bronco.