Museum Wants to Keep Famous Ford Bronco from O.J. Simpson Chase

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O.J. Simpson died last week at age 76 after losing his battle with cancer. Since that time, there have been reports circulating about the potential sale of the Ford Bronco that carried Simpson on the most famous police chase of all time. However, the museum that currently has the Bronco on display is determined to keep it.

Simpson was famous for many things. His Hall of Fame NFL career, his appearances in Hertz rental car commercials, and The Naked Gun films. And as the suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. It was the murder charges that led to one of the most watched and surreal moments in television history. On June 17, 1994, Simpson was in the back of an Oxford white 1993 Ford Bronco XLT driven by his friend Al Cowlings. Simpson failed to turn himself in to the police to face the murder charges, and that led to a two-hour-long, low-speed police pursuit that 95 million people watched on television. That Bronco suddenly became one of the most famous vehicles in history.

The Bronco from the chase was not actually owned by Simpson. He and his friend Cowlings owned identical Broncos, but Simpson’s Bronco was confiscated by police as part of the murder investigation. So, it was Cowlings' Bronco that was chased by police. After the trial, where Simpson was acquitted of the crimes, the truck changed hands a few times. It was even featured on an episode of Pawn Stars, but the seller wanted $1.3 million, and a deal could not be reached.

The Bronco eventually found its way to the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It shares space in the museum with the 1968 VW Beetle that belonged to serial killer Ted Bundy and the 1933 Essex Terraplane that bank robber John Dillinger used to evade the FBI. But since the news of the death of Simpson broke, reports began to swirl about the owners of the Bronco wanting to sell.

Sports collectible website Cllct reported that the SUV’s three owners—Simpson’s former agent Michael Gilbert and two friends of Cowlings—are looking to sell the famous Bronco for $1.5 million. Cher Murphy, a media spokesperson for the Alcatraz East Crime Museum told Road & Track that the museum wants to keep the truck, and its owners seem to be in agreement.

“The only thing we can comment on is the owners have stated that they want it to remain in the crime museum and we are hoping it is always with us,” Murphy said.

If you are interested in seeing this Bronco, you may want to book a trip to the museum sooner than later. If this Bronco does get sold, there is no telling where it may end up.

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