Decades worth of the legendary Ford brand's history lives in photographic and video form, in secure vaults. This North Pole photo shoot was one very few people had seen, until now.
Decades of History in Pictures
If there's ever an automobile manufacturer that needs to have multiple secure, climate-controlled vaults to store decades worth of photo negatives, film negatives, and videotapes, it's the company with the legendary Henry Ford's name on its badge. The vaults are appropriately named Henry, Clara, and Edsel.
Unearthed After All Those Decades
"Henry," the vault where the photos are stored is kept at 41 degrees and 51% humidity for optimal preservation. Recently, the team in charge of preserving the company's history was going through folders of negatives from 1968 when they uncovered this never-before-seen Bronco/Santa Clause photo shoot. And of course, it was too good not to show the world.
>>Join the conversation about this Christmas Bronco photoshoot right here in the forum.
Never Used
The photos are part of a series shot for Ford World, a biweekly paper within the company. They were taken inside the "cold room," where the manufacturer tests the cold weather capability of its products. A few different models were shot in the same type of setting between 1945 and 1970. These particular pictures were never used, or released to the public, until now!
>>Join the conversation about this Christmas Bronco photoshoot right here in the forum.
Bringing Back the Bronco
The 52-year-old photos were discovered last year when Ford was in the process of reintroducing the iconic Bronco brand back into the market. But they didn't just want to stop at sharing the amazing images with the world. They decided to take it one step further. Upon discovering the photos from the North Pole, they set out to recreate them using a 2021 Bronco.
>>Join the conversation about this Christmas Bronco photoshoot right here in the forum.
Santa's New Sleigh
The recreated photos are taken in the same freezing chamber as the ones from half a century ago. Cars are kept there in negative 30-degree temperature, for two days straight. If they can start right up in the North Pole climate, they pass the test! The photos show Ford employees prepping Santa's Bronco to deliver presents. Not sure about you, but I personally wish Santa would park the Bronco in my driveway as a Christmas present. Hope that's not too much to ask for this year!
>>Join the conversation about this Christmas Bronco photoshoot right here in the forum.
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