The infamous white Ford Bronco that played a central role in the 1994 slow-speed pursuit of O.J. Simpson by police could soon be up for grabs, with its current owners hoping to fetch at least $1.5 million following the former football star’s recent demise.
According to reports, Simpson’s former agent, Michael Gilbert, along with two associates of Al Cowlings – the original owner of the SUV – are contemplating putting the vehicle on the market, capitalizing on the heightened interest sparked by Simpson’s passing on April 10th.
The decision was first revealed by the collectibles website cllct.
Simpson, who was 76 years old at the time of his death from cancer, had been acquitted in 1995 of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in a highly publicized and controversial trial that captured the nation’s attention.
The current owners had initially planned to sell the Bronco this year, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the notorious chase, which unfolded as authorities sought to apprehend Simpson in connection with the June 1994 killings.
“Before OJ’s passing, we had always intended to sell the vehicle this year because it’s the 30th anniversary of the chase,” Gilbert explained to cllct. “Who knows if we’ll all still be around for the 35th or 40th anniversary?”
The previous highest offer for the vehicle stood at $750,000, but the owners now aim to fetch at least double that amount.
The two-hour pursuit, which took place on the California 405 freeway, began after Simpson failed to surrender to police on two counts of murder. Cowlings, who was a close friend of Simpson’s, was behind the wheel of the SUV and had warned authorities that Simpson was armed and threatening suicide, requesting that they refrain from directly tailing the vehicle.
While police complied with Cowlings’ request and slowed their pursuit, the chase was extensively covered by the media, with an estimated 95 million viewers tuning in, according to CBS Sports. Remarkably, some of Simpson’s fans even gathered along the interstate, cheering him on as he drove past, as reported by the Washington Post.
Simpson eventually surrendered to authorities at his Brentwood, California mansion.
After his acquittal, the white Bronco sat in a parking garage for 17 years before being loaned out in 2016 to the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a popular tourist destination.
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