How Driving a 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Turned Me Into the Coolest AuntA Girls Guide to CarsCherise ThreewittFri, September 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleCherise ThreewitHow to bribe your way to favorite-relative status with four doors, big tires, and a removable roof (thanks to the Ford Bronco).Ever since my niece and nephew schooled me on NASCAR, I've wanted to involve them more in my life around cars, because they're good kids and it's fun to share the perks of my offbeat job. One of the ways I figured I could do that was giving my niece a ride in a new Ford Bronco—her favorite car in the whole wide world (and who could blame her?).So, I got to figuring out how to make that happen. I spent about six months planning a Ford Bronco surprise for my niece's birthday. I got in contact with Ford, told them my plan, and they were happy to hand me the keys to a $77,665 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe model. They threw in some Bronco swag for her, too—but more on that later.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe look on my niece's face when I came to pick her up was priceless. So priceless that it took me six months to find the right words to describe how much happiness was radiating from her tiny body. Even today, I'm imagining her telling the story of how the Coolest Aunt Ever made her dreams come true as an old woman, smiling that same smile.Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for going along with this plan, to Ford for the setup, and to everyone involved for their patience.This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.For Maximum Impact, You Should Meet My NieceGrace is the kind of girl who tends to get what she wants — and I hope when she gets a Bronco, I'll be one of her first passengersGrace, age 12. Noted NASCAR fan and Ford Bronco obsessive. Brave, outgoing, clever, generous, giver of awesome hugs. Sister, student, fierce athlete, utterly worshiped by my son Lincoln, 6, who refers to her as Cousin Grace, capital "C" nonnegotiable. It's a title of honor and reverence.AdvertisementAdvertisementGrace loves Ford Broncos. Grace wanted me to ask NASCAR drivers if they own Ford Broncos.When I was Grace's age, I was obsessed with VW Jettas, and indeed, my first car was a Jetta. I will do my auntly duty and try to talk Grace into something a little more practical than a Bronco when the time comes, but she's actually kind of a practical kid, and this is one of her few flights of fancy.Now For the Golden Chariot: The Ford Bronco StroppeThe 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe made a colorful spectacle on my Chicago streetFord hooked me up with a 2025 Bronco Stroppe, and for a few days, its cartoonish stance and bold color scheme (blue, white, and tomato orange) made it the most popular car on my South Side Chicago street. No, I told my neighbors, it's not a Chicago Bears edition.I didn't know who or what Stroppe was, either. Turns out, Bill Stroppe is the multi-time winner of the Baja 1000, a truck builder who favored the Bronco, and a sometime collaborator with Ford, back in the day, to market off-roading kits that bore his name. The Stroppe's webpage says in big, bold letters, "The Baja Icon, Reborn."AdvertisementAdvertisementNow, he's honored with a three-tone, two-door Bronco with a matte hood, a white grille, and removable roof panels. The matte hood is a neat trick that absorbs some of the sun's glare — I'm familiar with this useful and cool-looking feature thanks to my Subaru Outback Wilderness, and I'm sure I'd be even more appreciative of it if I'd used the Bronco, or the Outback for that matter, to its full potential — rallying through the desert.A twin-turbo V6 engine sits under the hood, which isn't often combined with the Bronco's two-door body style and makes the Stroppe Edition a rare configuration. The interior is comfortable, though it has just four seats, and the white dash panel is certainly a choice.Bottom line: $77,665. Dream big, sweet niece.Here's How We Set Up the MagicThe hilariously cartoonish profile — short, wide, and high — are part of the Bronco's timeless charmIt's so much fun to do favors for people, especially cool kids like my niece, when I have unique access to something they desperately want. The Bronco gears were turning months before Grace's birthday, though I knew ahead of time that the plans likely wouldn't be perfect, based on the unpredictable combination of press car availability and the kids' sports schedule. My sister-in-law, Lynn, was immediately on board, so I reached out to Ford to arrange the Bronco loan.AdvertisementAdvertisementWe made plans to surprise Grace after a lacrosse game, with a loose plan to drive around, grab a snack, and meet up later, since the Bronco was at capacity and my husband Andy would be taking Lynn's SUV for the day. Lynn made sure Grace's various items of Bronco apparel were in the car for a post-game photo-ready outfit.The Reveal: Showing Grace the Bucking BroncoThe Ford Bronco Stroppe's matte black hood and white grille make for an interesting contrastWhen we arrived at the sports complex, we were surprised and a little amused to discover the parking lot was thick with Ford Broncos. Really, no wonder Grace is obsessed — they're everywhere in the suburbs. Fortunately, the Bronco Stroppe stands out even among its kin. We found Lynn's car, parked a couple of spots over, and headed to the lacrosse field to chat with Lynn.As Grace and Lynn approached, I could see Grace point out the Stroppe to Lynn, as Lynn tried not to laugh. I hit the ignition and revved the engine. Grace's jaw hit her hands and her lacrosse stick hit the ground in perfect unison, though she recovered with the speed of a true athlete."Cousin Grace!" yelled Lincoln from the backseat. "It's us, Cousin Grace!"AdvertisementAdvertisementWell, obviously it's us. Who else could have done this? She ran, at almost inhuman speeds, to climb in.How'd She Handle the Drive?The world's happiest kid riding shotgun in the BroncoGrace rode up front with me for about half the afternoon, but spent some time basking in the glow of my son's attention in the backseat, as well. We chatted a bit, but the overall excitement level in the loud Ford Bronco meant most of this conversation was rehashed the following day, over the phone. This has been heavily edited for some semblance of clarity, but not to make myself sound any smarter. This is actually how I talk to a 12-year-old when I can barely get a word in edgewise.Me: If you could go do anything in a Ford Bronco for a day, what would you want to do?Grace: I want to go to probably a gigantic cornfield and run down a bunch of gigantic cornstalks.AdvertisementAdvertisementMe: Why? What did the corn ever do to you?Grace: It's just super cool.Me: Are you at all interested in the actual specs of the Ford Bronco, like the different trim levels and what they can do, and like, the engines and stuff like that? Or what they actually drive like?Grace: Not really.Me: So if you ever actually, like, buy one, that's gonna have to be something that you're gonna have to pay, like, a little bit of attention to at least. But you're not that worried about that right now? You'll worry about that when the time comes.Grace: Yep.Me: So, when you finally got to, like, ride in a Bronco, did it meet your expectations? Like, how was it the same as what you expected and how was it different?AdvertisementAdvertisementGrace: It was really cool. It was kind of the same as what I expected, because I knew that they were pretty roomy, after all. And just how cool it was to, like, have people look at it and be, like, "Yeah, I'm the one in the Bronco this time."Then We Got Ice Cream, Where She Could Admire it Some MoreThe Ford Bronco isn't really a city car, but also, it's going to go wherever you want it to goAs a birthday celebration, it was only right and righteous that our agenda included a treat stop. Lynn suggested the Plush Horse, an ice cream shop in Palos Park, IL, that's a family favorite as well as somewhat on-trend for an equine-themed day. The idea was to get a photo of the Ford Bronco alongside a horse mural on the building's exterior, but it was a lovely Saturday, and the parking lot was packed with kids' sports teams celebrating victories or mourning losses.It's pretty good ice cream. Even my dairy-free scoop was tasty and appealingly textured. And the kids' fresh waffle cones were the perfect mix of soft and crispy — kind of like the Ford Bronco's plush seats, with a subtle edge thanks to their orange contrast stitching, or some over-the-top comparison like that.Grace's Goodbye Was BittersweetGrace really did hug the Bronco goodbye — this wasn't stagedWhile we were prowling the mean streets of the Indiana side of the Chicago 'burbs, Grace's brother, Grant, and their dad, Scott, were off to Wisconsin for Grant's baseball team's doubleheader Saturday. They made their way back down toward us and met up with Andy, who'd been cruising around doing errands in Lynn's Hyundai Palisade since we parted ways after the lacrosse game.AdvertisementAdvertisementMeeting up for dinner was the obvious next step. We stopped at Uncle Bub's, a BBQ spot in Westmont, IL. The kind of place where your order will likely consist of a list of types of meats and they come in little piles on a plastic cafeteria tray, and all is good and well even if you don't particularly like meat.It's not often you see a 12-year-old hugging a car in a restaurant parking lot, so it's no surprise that Grace's antics drew a crowd, who of course wanted to hear about the kicky Stroppe three-tone exterior, turning what I'd hoped would be a quick exit into a long, drawn-out, over-emotional goodbye.The next day, I was curious if Grace's perceptions toward the Bronco had shifted. Was the lust out of her system? Not at all, she assured me via FaceTime."Yesterday was the best day of my entire life," said Grace.
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