Parnelli Jones is a kind of legend in the racing world, winning victories in motorsport events as diverse as the Indianapolis 500 and Baja 1000 Desert Racing. And now you can have a piece of Ford Bronco history – and Baja – , because his 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 without a doubt the Big Oly Bronco. This distinctive machine took its nickname from its main sponsor, Olympia Beer, and won the consecutive Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1972. They also took the 1973 Baja 500 and the 1973 Mint 400. Needless to say, this bad boy has pedigree.
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And let’s review some specifications:
- 154 inches long
- 72 inches wide
- Dry weight 2,620 pounds
- Spatial frame of chrome moly tubes
- Fiberglass and aluminum body
- Ford Windsor V-8 engine of 351/390 hp
- Modified Ford C6 B&M hydraulic transmission
- Gold / white / black exterior with livery no. 1
- Fuel capacity of 45 liters
- It runs on high octane racing fuel
- Extreme damping and suspension travel
- Large custom wing at the top
- Split windshield to reduce dust in the cabin
- Rear end of the coil for better traction
- Firestone all-terrain tires with white letters
Jones entered off-road racing after losing the Indy 500 with just four laps to go when his turbine car driven by Andy Granatelli crashed. Co-pilot Bill Stroppe basically dared with Jones, saying:Jones was not man enough for off-road racing.
But Jones wouldn’t take it lying down or take it it’s easy, and Big Oly was designed to push all possible limits. Apart from the roof, which was basically designed to be basically a huge wing, there were many other innovations: a split windshield to reduce cabin dust, integrated Thermos beverage systems for drivers, a fiberglass frame, a backlit device containing a manual map scrolling that functioned as an analog GPS and a heavily modified suspension. If one aspect could be modified, it was so. And this worked. The open field was never the same after that moment.
One of the most interesting things about this machine, though, is that it has been in Jones ’personal collection since he competed with it. At the time, it was common for successful cars to be sold and raced to death, but the Big Oly was something else. Jones knew it. So he kept it safe and left it out of storage to lend it occasionally to a museum exhibit.
Due to its pristine nature and the historical importance of the Big Oly, Hagerty he estimates it could sell for more than a million dollars. It’s hard to imagine for anything less.