Parnelli Jones is something of a legend in the racing world who wins at motorsport events as diverse as the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 Desert Race. And now you can own a piece of Ford Bronco and Baja history, as its iconic “Big Oly” is on auction.
In fact, Mecum auction off the whole Parnelli Jones Collection, which contains six cars from the man’s personal collection. But the shining star is undoubtedly the Big Oly Bronco. This distinctive machine earned the nickname of the main sponsor, Olympia Beer, and won the Baja 1000 back-to-back in 1971 and 1972. They also took home the Baja 500 and the 1973 Mint 400 from 1973. Needless to say, this bad boy has family tree.
G / O Media can get a commission
And let’s look at some specifications:
- 154 inches length
- 72 inches wide
- 2,620 lbs dry weight
- Chrome moly tube space frame
- Fiberglass and aluminum bodywork
- 351/390 HP Ford Windsor V-8 Engine
- Modified Ford C6 B&M Hydro Transmission
- Gold / white / black exterior with color no. 1
- Fuel capacity of 45 liters
- Running on high-octane fuel
- Extreme shock absorber and suspension
- Custom large wing on top
- Split windscreen to reduce dust in the cabin
- Rinse back for better traction
- Firestone off-road tires with white letters
Jones entered the off-road racing after losing on the Indy 500 by just four laps when his Andy Granatelli turbine engine failed. Co-driver Bill Stroppe actually dared Jones and said:Jones was not enough for off-road racing. ”
But Jones would not go to bed, and neither would it’s easy, and the Big Oly is designed to push every possible boundary. Apart from the roof, which is basically just designed to be a large wing, there were numerous other innovations: a split windscreen to reduce cabin dust, built-in Thermos drinking systems for the drivers, a fiberglass frame, a device with lighting with a hand-operated scrolling of maps that functions as an analog GPS and a heavily modified suspension. If one aspect could be changed, it was. And this worked. Off-roading was never the same.
However, one of the coolest things about this machine is that it has remained in Jones’ personal collection since he chased it. In that era, it was common for successful cars to be sold and essentially killed, but the Big Oly was something else. Jones knew it. He therefore kept it safe and took it out of storage to occasionally lend it to a museum exhibit.
Because of the pristine nature and historical significance of the Big Oly, Hagerty estimates that it could sell for more than one million dollars. It’s hard to imagine it going any less.