One of the defining mass media moments at the end of the 20th century was the low-speed chase of OJ Simpson across Orange County, CA, when police decided to arrest him for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Johnson. More than 100 million people tuned in for the live chase, making it one of the most-watched events in history at the time. Collectors will want to know that the infamous white Ford Bronco from that chase is up for auction soon.
It wasn’t actually OJ’s Bronco, although that’s how everyone remembers it. The Bronco was owned by Simpson’s longtime friend Al Cowlings, who was behind the wheel during the chase. Simpson’s agent is also a part-owner of the Bronco, which has been on display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN since 2016.
“Before OJ passed, we had always thought this was going to be the year we were going to sell because it’s the 30th anniversary,” said Simpson’s agent Michael Gilbert. “Who knows if we are all going to be around for the 35th or the 40th?”
There’s renewed interest in the case after OJ passed away from cancer last week, so the owners are now hoping to cash in on that. The last time they had an offer on the vehicle was in 2016, when a private buyer offered $750,000 for it. This time, the owners hope to start bidding at $1.5 million.
The iconic SUV only has 32,000 miles on the odometer, and it has barely been driven since that fateful day in June 1993. For those who don’t remember the event, this was CNN’s live coverage of the chase that meandered down I-5 for more than two hours before stopping:
