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| © Four Wheeler Network Staff |
Bill Stroppe and Parnelli Jones’ Big Oly Bronco is one of the most iconic vehicles in off-road racing history. The Big Oly Bronco was raced in the Baja 1000 from 1970-1974. You now have a chance to own a piece of history.
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| © Four Wheeler Network Staff |
Acme Trading Company has built a 1:18 scale model of the original Big Oly Bronco that won the 1971 Baja 1000, complete with winning livery. The model has incredible details that include handcrafted resin. The wheels actually roll and livery includes all of the sponsor decals Big Oly had in 1971. The interior is also fully detailed.
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| © Four Wheeler Network Staff |
According to legend, Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones was challenged by off-road team manager Bill Stroppe at a Christmas party in the late 1960s. Stroppe didn’t think pavement racers could race the grueling Baja. Parnelli reportedly accepted the challenge. Parnelli won the 1970 Baja 500 in a two-wheel-drive Bronco prototype named “Pony.”
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| © Four Wheeler Network Staff |
Parnelli had reservations about the durability of the vehicle and asked Stroppe to create a lighter tube-framed truck. Stroppe wanted to keep with the Bronco design, so he asked Dick Russell to sketch a Bronco-inspired body on a napkin. The finished design featured chromoly tubing with aluminum inner panels and a fiberglass shell based on a stock Bronco body. Olympia Beer signed on as the title sponsor. That was the beginning of the iconic Big Oly name.
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| © Four Wheeler Network Staff |
The 1:18 scale Big Oly Bronco models will be released in December 2018. Production will be limited to 750 models. Each comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Parnelli Jones. Acme Trading company is currently taking pre-orders.
