Gilles Villeneuve’s Ford Bronco is the ultimate tow-truck for your vintage Ferrari F1 | Daily News Byte

It’s always interesting to see the cars used by Formula One drivers off the racetrack. These days, more often than not, there will be a clear correlation between the daily racing ace driver and their weekend track weapon. Lando Norris is often seen cruising in a McLaren 720S, while George Russell’s everyday is a Mercedes AMG GT, and if we are talking about Ferrari drivers, then it is clear that there is only one choice . Unless, that is, you’re Gilles Villeneuve, who, instead of swinging on a galloping horse, spends his time behind the wheel of his rugged and beloved 1976 Ford Bronco.

While the thought of a Formula One driver in anything other than an elite supercar seems almost incomprehensible, when one considers how the Quebecer got his start in racing, it all starts to make sense. Unlike many of the Formula One greats, the Canadian hot shoe cut his teeth in snow racing instead of go karting. In Gille’s early career, the bulk of his earnings were won on the back of a Snowmobile, and in 1974, the Canadian won the World Championship Snowmobile Derby. While comparing snowmobiles to race cars may seem like an apples to oranges affair, Villeneuve himself attributes some of his success to his unusual origins: “Those things are often that glided, which taught me a lot about control. And the visibility was terrible. Unless you were leading, you couldn’t see anything, with all the snow blowing. Good for reactions — and it kept me from having any worries about racing in the rain.”

Equipped with that competitive edge, it wasn’t long before Villeneuve traded the snow for the tarmac, and he began his competitive driving career by entering his 1967 Ford Mustang in local drag racing events. Simply running in a straight line became boring for the gifted driver, and he attended the Jim Russell Racing School at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant to obtain a racing license. The next step for Villeneuve was the Quebec regional Formula Ford championship, where he won 7 of the 10 races he entered with his two-year-old car. Because of his success, the following year he entered Formula Atlantic, and in 1975 he won his first race in the series, using his wealth of experience racing snowmobiles to take the checkered flag in a wet Gimli Motorsports Park.

As this Bronco rolled off the production line in 1976, Villeneuve lined up for the first time against Formula One drivers in a non-championship Formula Atlantic race at Trois-Rivières. Villeneuve was clearly unfazed by the pressure, taking first place, and impressing rival James Hunt in the process. As a direct result of that race, McLaren offered Villeneuve a seat in their third car for the 1977 Formula One season alongside Hunt and Jochen Mass. Villeneuve made his Formula One debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix, where the Canadian qualified 9th in an older McLaren M23, splitting Mass and Hunt in their cutting-edge M26s.

In his downtime between races, Villeneuve uses his beloved Bronco for road trips around Monaco and the Alps – and we like to think he’s casually strolling the streets of Monte Carlo in bell bottoms and aviator sunglasses, surveying the track to the soundtrack of his roaring V8. As a speed-loving racing driver, Villeneuve naturally upgraded his Bronco with wide fenders, double suspension, dual fuel tanks, a modified 5.0-liter engine, a drag racing-inspired Doug Nash 5 speed gearbox, a Hurst Competition shifter, Recaro bucket seats and a mechanical winch – the perfect accessory for dragging F1 cars out of the ditches after vigorous practice.

Villeneuve was making waves in the top flight of motorsport, and this did not go unnoticed by Scuderia Ferrari, who invited the young driver to Maranello to meet ‘Il Commendatore’ himself. Despite a relatively slow test session at Fiorano, something about the Canadian reminded Enzo Ferrari of a pre-war European champion named Tazio Nuvolare: “I immediately recognized Nuvolari’s physique in him and said to myself, let’s try him..” The boss spoke, and Villeneuve was signed for the last two races of the 1977 season as well as the 1978 season. It was a dream come true for Villeneuve, who later reflected on the momentous occasion: “If someone had said to me you can have three wishes, my first is to race, my second is Formula 1, my third is to drive for Ferrari…”

Despite a slow start at Scuderia Ferrari, Villeneuve would take a dream first win at the season-ending 1978 Canadian Grand Prix. He would take home gold five times behind the wheel of a prancing horse, before his impressive racing career came to a tragic and untimely end following a fatal accident during qualifying in Zolder at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.

Today, this Ford Bronco remains a time capsule from an outstanding high point in Villeneuve’s life and career. Untouched since the legendary driver’s death, this Bronco remains exactly as Villeneuve left it and boasts an array of fine modifications expected from a car owned by a true enthusiast. Gilles Villeneuve’s Bronco makes for a fascinating piece of automotive history and is just crying out for a sympathetic restoration. If this Bronco catches your eye, be sure to check out The Autumn Sale by Aguttes on December 14th.

Photos: Kevin van Campenhout © 2022