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Parnelli Jones is something of a legend in the motor racing world, scoring victories in 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 up for auction.
In fact, Mecum is auctioningf the whole Parnelli Jones Collection, which includes six cars from the man’s personal collection. But the shining star is undoubtedly the Big Oly Bronco. This distinctive machine took its nickname from its main sponsor, Olympia Beer, and won the Baja 1000 consecutively in 1971 and 1972. They also won the Baja 500 of 1973 and the Mint 400 of 1973. Needless to say, that is. bad. boy has pedigree.
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And let’s go over some specs:
- 154 inch length
- 72 inches wide
- 2620 pounds dry weight
- Space frame for chrome moly tubes
- Fiberglass and aluminum bodywork
- 351/390 HP Ford Windsor V8 engine
- Modified Ford C6 B&M hydraulic transmission
- Exterior gold / white / black with livery n ° 1
- 45 gallon fuel capacity
- Runs on high octane racing fuel
- Extreme shock absorber and suspension travel
- Large custom wing on top
- Split windshield to reduce dust in the cockpit
- Rear end of the spool for better traction
- Firestone White-letter all-terrain tires
Jones embarked on off-road racing after losing to the Indy 500 with just four laps to go when his Andy Granatelli turbine car broke down. Co-pilot Bill Stroppe essentially dared Jones, saying: “Jones was not a man enough for off-road racing.
But Jones wasn’t going to take this lying down, nor would he take it’s easy, and the Big Oly was designed to push all the limits possible. Besides the roof, which was basically designed to be a huge wing, there were tons of other innovations: a split windshield to reduce dust in the cockpit, built-in Thermos drinking systems for drivers, a frame fiberglass, a backlit device containing manual scrolling of maps functioning like analog GPS and heavily modified suspension. If one aspect could be changed, it was. And that work. The off-road was never the same after that point.
One of the coolest things about this machine, however, is that it has remained in Jones’ personal collection since he rode it. Back then, it was common for successful cars to be sold and essentially raced to death, but the Big Oly was something else. Jones knew that. So he kept it safe, taking it out of storage to occasionally lend it to a museum exhibit.
Due to its pristine nature and the historical significance of the Big Oly, Hagerty estimates it could sell for over a million dollars. It’s hard to imagine that it costs less.
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