BRONCOFACTS Trail guide · 1966–present

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1922–2006

McKinley Thompson Jr.

Ford designer and early Bronco contributor

McKinley Thompson Jr., Ford's first African American automobile designer, working at a drafting table in Ford's Advanced Styling Studio
McKinley Thompson Jr., Ford's first African American automobile designer, working at a drafting table in Ford's Advanced Styling Studio Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company Archives

Ford's first African American automobile designer contributed an early package proposal to the program that became Bronco. His work belongs in the vehicle's origin story without reducing his broader design career to one sketch.

Key beats

  • Joined Ford after winning a Motor Trend design competition
  • Worked in Ford's Advanced Styling Studio
  • Associated with the July 1963 Bronco package-proposal record