2021 Ford Bronco First Edition, VIN 001, Auctioned for More Than $1 Million

• The new Ford Bronco is already a hot commodity, but the limited First Edition with VIN 001 is the rarest of the rare, which is why Ford auctioned one off for charity last night.

• MSRP for a First Edition Bronco is just over $60,000, but VIN 001 sold for $1.1 million, with the proceeds going to two Bronco Wild Fund organizations, the National Forest Foundation and Outward Bound.

• Another VIN 001 Ford, the limited-edition Mustang Mach 1, sold for $500,000.

Demand for the new Ford Bronco is strong, but demand for the first one reached an eye-popping height at a Barrett-Jackson auction event last night. The auction house announced last night that the first 2021 Bronco two-door, with its VIN ending in 001, ended up selling for $1.1 million. As a charity auction, all of the hammer price will benefit the National Forest Foundation and Outward Bound, two organizations that are part of the automaker's new Bronco Wild Fund mission, which is to encourage people to get outside and experience the outdoors.

Ford is only making 7000 of these First Editions for the 2021 model year, and there's only one with the first VIN. The million-dollar First Edition Bronco has an exclusive Lightning Blue exterior and a Dark Space Gray and Navy Pier interior. This unit uses the 2.7-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine that produces an estimated 310 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed Advanced 4x4 system.

The specifics of the First Edition are a mishmash of the various trims Ford has created for the new Bronco lineup. The blacked-out exterior comes from the Wildtrak trim and the interior from the Outer Banks, and most of the mechanical components can be found in the Badlands trim, along with the Sasquatch package and its 35-inch tires. Other off-road enhancements include an independent front suspension with Bilstein position-sensitive dampers and, in back, a five-link solid Dana 44 axle. This Bronco comes with a painted black hard top and removable doors, as well as a list of off-road-minded technologies: trail turn assist, electronic stabilizer bar disconnect, and front and rear locking differentials. The First Edition Bronco starts at $60,800.

Other Ford vehicles did well at last night's auction as well, including the last remaining Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake CSX 3015, which sold for $5 million, and a Mustang Mach 1, again with VIN 001, that sold for $500,000. The limited-edition Mach 1 comes with the model's 480-hp V-8 engine option and a six-speed manual transmission, as well as the track-ready handling package. The Mustang Mach 1 has Fighter Jet Gray exterior paint and enough exterior badges and features—a new front fascia and grille, wheels, orange accents and special edition badges—to differentiate it from the standard Mustangs out there. The Mach 1 money will go to the JDRF, which funds research into Type 1 diabetes and was formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

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