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Last week’s sale of the week bucked expectations, and so might this week’s, if you assume that, like diamonds, the allure of celebrity ownership lasts forever. This 1976 Bronco was owned by famous Canadian F1 driver Gilles Villeneuve, winner of six grands prix and a Ford guy through and through. A connection to a winning F1 driver seems like a slam-dunk, especially given the popularity of the discipline, as does this truck’s unrestored condition. Plus, it’s a first-gen Bronco—at one point, one of the hottest machines in the collector-truck market. So why did it sell for six figures in 2022, and just five in 2026?
When French auction house Aguttes brought this truck to auction in Paris in December of 2022, it brought an eye-watering €136,150 (nearly $172,000 today) —at the time, over double its price of a first-gen Bronco in our price guide. That’s a hefty premium to pay for celebrity ownership. The price was high enough, in fact, to bump Carroll Shelby’s Cobra (which sold for 192% over the value of a normal Cobra) to the number two spot on our racing drivers’ Power List in 2023.
Edoardo Fornaciari/Getty Images
Villeneuve in the #12 Ferrari at the 1976 Grand Prix of Monaco.Bernard Cahier/Getty Images
Gilles Villeneuve bought this Bronco new, and it hasn’t been touched since his tragic and early death in 1982. (The rust on the roof, the pitted chrome, and the chipped paint around the rear wheel wells bear witness to that fact.) He actually used this truck, too; If you’re wondering why Aguttes offered it at a sale in Paris, rather than in Quebec, it’s probably because Villeneuve drove this truck in Monaco and the Alps. Compact, rugged, and flashy, this truck makes total sense as a double-duty town and country for someone who appreciates off-road performance.
Aguttes
Aguttes
Aguttes
The big change for the Bronco in 1976 was the front-brake design, which switched from drums to discs.Aguttes
Villeneuve added his own touches to his Bronco, lifting it, widening the fenders, and adding a set of colorful Recaro bucket seats. The listing notes that he modified the engine, though it doesn’t specify how. We’re not sure whether the dual fuel tanks on this truck were a Villeneuve modification or something he ordered from the factory, given that you could order a reserve fuel tank on your Bronco in 1976. Same with the suspension; heavy-duty shocks were available from the factory, but we can’t tell from the listing whether they’re on this truck or not. The Doug-Nash five-speed gearbox is definitely a non-factory add-on, as is the Hurst Competition shifter. The changes add up to a brawny, flashy build that would be right at home on today’s streets, 50 years later.
Aguettes
Sounds great, right? A thoroughly yet tastefully personalized classic Bronco owned by a talented, winning F1 driver. However, listing this truck’s objectively compelling qualities doesn’t account for simple human behavior. When Villeneuve’s Bronco came back up for sale on May 4, again by Aguttes, offered at the Grand Palais in Paris, it brought just €83,440, or about $95,900. That’s well over its condition-appropriate value (likely below $50,000), but a significant drop from its €136,150 sale four years ago. The lesser result isn’t because people have forgotten about Villeneuve or suddenly decided they don’t care about first-gen Broncos, but because this isn’t the first time they’ve seen the truck. It is simply not as exciting.
For our part, we hope that whoever bought this colorful, pedigreed truck will show it some love—in a tasteful, historically sympathetic way. Villeneuve’s badass Bronco was built to run wild!