The White Ford Bronco and O.J. Simpson’s Infamous Chase: The Untold Journey of an Iconic Vehicle
More than two decades after captivating millions of viewers worldwide, the white Ford Bronco that carried O.J. Simpson during his notorious slow-speed freeway chase now rests in a crime museum in Tennessee, its legacy a permanent symbol of one of the most bizarre moments in American history.
On the evening of June 17, 1994, the world witnessed a slow-motion spectacle unlike any other. A white Ford Bronco with California plates, driven by Al Cowlings, meandered down the freeways of southern California. In the backseat sat O.J. Simpson, the once-revered football star and cultural icon, holding a gun to his head as the police followed at a careful distance. What should have been a typical high-speed pursuit instead became a surreal, tension-laden crawl through the streets, with nearly 100 million people glued to their television screens.
The Chase that Gripped a Nation
Just five days earlier, Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were brutally murdered, and Simpson quickly emerged as a suspect. Initially cooperative with authorities, Simpson’s behavior took a dramatic turn, culminating in the infamous 60-mile chase along California’s major freeways, including the Santa Ana, Artesia, and San Diego Freeways. Beginning at 5:56 p.m. and lasting for over two hours, the slow pursuit finally ended outside Simpson’s Brentwood home, where his dramatic surrender began as news cameras captured every moment.
Interrupting the Game 5 broadcast of the NBA Finals, the chase turned the white Ford Bronco into a symbol forever linked to the legal drama that followed. With the backdrop of America’s fascination with celebrity trials and courtroom drama, Simpson was eventually acquitted, though the echoes of that night reverberated for years to come.
Two Broncos, Two Stories
Interestingly, there were two white Ford Broncos linked to the case. Simpson’s personal Bronco, found parked outside his Rockingham estate with traces of blood, was later destroyed. The Bronco involved in the chase belonged to Al Cowlings, Simpson’s longtime friend, and confidant. Ironically, Simpson had once been a spokesperson for Ford, making the vehicle choice an eerie twist in the unfolding saga.
From Chase to Collectible: The Bronco’s Journey
After its 15 minutes of fame, the Bronco was sold by Cowlings to a company called Starifacts for $75,000, far above its Kelley Blue Book value of $1,800. However, the Bronco’s journey took a sharp turn when Simpson’s former agent, Mike Gilbert, discovered Starifacts’ controversial plans. The company intended to lease the vehicle to Grave Line Tours, a macabre enterprise offering tourists the chance to visit famous graves, with the Bronco as a centerpiece. The plan even included a re-enactment of the chase, complete with a stop at Nicole Brown Simpson’s grave. Disturbed by the tasteless exploitation, Gilbert, along with two of Cowlings’ friends, intervened. They purchased the vehicle from Cowlings for the same amount, ensuring that it would remain out of the hands of opportunistic companies.
For years, the Bronco sat idly in the garage of a condo complex, rarely driven and kept operational only through routine maintenance. Despite the many years that passed, the car’s odometer showed just 20 additional miles since the chase, a ghostly reminder of its last infamous journey.
A Museum Piece of Unsettling Fame
In 2012, the Bronco made a brief appearance at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, displayed as part of a sports memorabilia exhibit. It shared space with icons like the 1999 Women’s World Cup trophy. But when the hotel suggested moving the vehicle indoors, an act that would have required disassembling it, the owners refused, insisting that the Bronco remain fully functional.
The Bronco has since found a more permanent home in the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Its display is part of a broader narrative on crime and justice in America, situated near an exhibit dedicated to Nicole Brown Simpson, which raises awareness about domestic violence. The juxtaposition of these exhibits serves as a sobering reminder of the human tragedy at the heart of the spectacle.
An Eerie Souvenir: The Gas Remains
Mike Gilbert, Simpson’s former agent, retained more than just memories of the chase. In a bizarre twist, he drained the original gasoline from the Bronco and kept it, along with the vehicle’s original tires and registration papers, preserving these mundane yet eerie relics of one of the most surreal events in modern crime history.
Simpson’s Post-Prison Life
In the years following his release from prison in 2017, O.J. Simpson has re-emerged into public life, though under a cloud of controversy. Now residing in Las Vegas, Simpson has taken to social media, notably joining Twitter in 2019 with a now-infamous video promising to share his thoughts on everything, ominously adding, “I’ve got a little getting even to do.” His early tweets aimed to “set the record straight” on lingering rumors, including denying any romantic involvement with Kris Jenner and refuting persistent claims that Khloe Kardashian is his daughter.
As the years have passed, the memory of that slow-moving white Bronco has not faded. It remains an indelible symbol of a moment in time when celebrity, crime, and media collided in ways that still echo through the halls of pop culture and history alike. A symbol of both fame and infamy, the Bronco continues to remind us of a case that forever altered the American legal landscape and left an imprint on the collective consciousness.
