It's been said that after a momentous birth, the infant Ford Bronco soon became a neglected child. When it debuted for 1966, it was a very timely upgrade in a sport/utility revolution that was gaining steam year by year. Looking at how it evolved from that point, a reasonable person might wonder why it almost immediately lost momentum versus the rest of the market.
The sport/ute "revolution" was real, but for a company the size of FoMoCo, dealing with a lot of mid-'60s success in other car realms (can you sayMustang?), it was chump change at that moment in time. Sales of 20,000-something to 30,000-something Broncos annually were a drop in the bucket compared to other models, and only 2-3 percent of truck sales overall. Bronco numbers didn't generate a high profit margin either, and bean counters were reluctant to release R&D and model upgrade money as quickly as they might for a faster-selling model. On top of that, there was the "executive attention-span factor," whereby money went to things the execs in power favored at the moment. Additionally, internal struggles over development and advertising money can always help to speed or slow a particular model's development.
Finally, at a certain point in 1972, spurred by the success of the GM Blazer, development started on a new fullsize Bronco model. At times like that, the old model always goes into minimal development mode as it nears the end of its run. A hitch came when the fullsize Bronco was delayed several years by the Arab oil embargo and an economic downturn, so the old Bronco had to soldier on longer than intended and it got some much-needed updates to keep it in the game.
All that said, we can still take note that Ford was modest in its trim-level offerings for the early Bronco. From '66 through '71 it came in only two levels: base and Sport. The top-end and super-popular Ranger came in midyear '72 for '73 and lasted to the end in '77, making for a three-trim-level Bronco lineup. During this time, let's not forget there were some other packages that kind of split the difference between trim levels and added sales pizzazz. One was the '72-'74 Explorer Package, which reappeared for a while in '76, and the Special Decor Group, one of the least-known Bronco packages.
The Special Decor Group appeared later in '76, but how many were made that year is unclear. It was a bit less elaborate than the Explorer package, but like the Explorer it could either bridge the gap between the base Bronco and the Sport or, when ordered on top of the Sport Package, it could turn the Sport into a slightly different flavor—kind of like toppings on your ice cream.
The Special Decor Group was mainly an exterior dress-up package that could be added to a standard or Sport Bronco. It differed slightly whether it was on a base or a Sport Bronco because the Sport included some of the Special Decor options. The two most unique and visible parts were the blacked-out grille with bright "F-O-R-D" lettering and the color-keyed body stripes. The stripes came in three colors depending on the base paint: white, black, or yellow. If you ordered it on a base Bronco, it also included wheel covers and bright window trim. These items (and more) were included with the Sport, so the Special Decor option cost a lot less on a Sport. Another option was added for '77: a body-color top versus the standard white top. The Special Decor Group was added late in '76 production, so it isn't clear how many were sold that year. There is a clear number listed for '77—just under 2,800 units—but it isn't clear how they were divided between the base and the Sport Bronco. Most of the survivors seen are Sports.
