‘Big Oly’ Bronco Thunders Down Into Mecum Indy 2021
Once driven by Parnelli Jones and Bill Stroppe, legendary ‘Big Oly’ ’69 Bronco now crown jewel of Mecum’s upcoming Indy auction in Mid-May.
Once upon a time, two legends came together to take the Bronco to the ultimate level. One was racing icon Parnelli Jones. The other? Famed builder and racer Bill Stroppe. Jones came up with an off-road build unlike anything before. Stroppe declined at first. Jones then tapped Stroppe’s mechanic, Dick Russell, to build his Bronco in secret. Stroppe found out, ready to strangle Jones and Russell for going behind his back.
Then, he said the only way this build could continue would be to bring it to his shop. Thus was born the legend of ‘Big Oly.’ The monster Bronco upended off-road racing forever. Now, it’s set to blow it all up at Mecum Auctions’ upcoming Indianapolis extravaganza, set for May 14 through 22.
Once ‘Big Oly’ rolled out of Stroppe’s shop, nothing could stop the monster Bronco from dominating the dirt, and then some. Jones whipped his horse too hard in the 1970 Baja 1000, breaking an axle. He then went back-to-back in the ’71 and ’72 runnings, managing to beat the fastest motorcycles in ’71 with a time of 14 hours and 59 minutes. Finally, Jones racked up wins in the ’73 Baja 500 and Mint 400. In so doing, the unique Bronco set a standard for off-road builds seen to this day, in the form of trophy trucks.
Living within the tube frame and fiberglass is ‘Big Oly’s key to success: a 351 Windsor V8 pumping 390 ponies to the rear through a beefed-up Ford C6 auto with a Hurst shifter on top. And if you’re wondering where the air cleaner is, let’s hop inside!
That’s right! That center stack on the dash is the air cleaner. Meanwhile, who needs leather or Alcantra racing buckets when cloth and vinyl will do. There’s even wood trim surrounding the Hurst shifter, and a big ol’ wang for a roof on top of the roll cage.
Since those heady days on the dirt, the ‘Big Oly’ Bronco’s been everywhere, including the Amelia Island Courcous d’Elegance. Even former Mexican president Vincete Fox Quesada sat in it for a photo op.
However, whomever places the winning bid will be the luckiest one in the world. After all, it’s not every day a legend goes to auction.
Photos: Mecum Auctions
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