Among the many cars rebuilt from the classics and well-loved favorites from generations ago is the Ford Bronco, renovated to look even more modern than we had hoped, with plenty of features to keep us on the line waiting to know more. If you’ve seen the new Ford Bronco on the street, there is no doubt that it made you do a double-take, and it demands even more attention off-road. While the 2022 Ford Bronco looks very different from the original, Ford made several nods to the Bronco we knew and loved, and for next year’s model that includes a classic paint option: Eruption Green.

What makes the 2022 Ford Bronco so special?

The Ford Bronco isn’t the oldest, longest production model vehicle from Ford. In fact, if you aren’t a fan of the original Bronco, chances are you might not really think that the revival is any big deal. There isn’t anything about the Bronco that really sets it apart from many other off-road dominating SUV options of the same era, but similar to cars like the Toyota Supra and Nissan Z, the comeback of the Ford Bronco warmed the hearts of the many enthusiasts that still loves and appreciated the original cars but wanted something more modern.

“Automotive enthusiasts, and especially Bronco fans, are passionate about colors and will be excited about Eruption Green. Paint has a wonderful way of evolving because of technology. Eruption Green is a contemporary color, but there’s a connection with Bronco heritage. It’s evergreen-inspired, with yellow highlights that really tie it into nature.”

Barb Whalen, Ford color and materials manager

Where did Eruption Green come from?

Fans of the first generation of the Ford Bronco, which was in production from 1966 to 1977, may not recognize the paint color by name, as it isn’t the original paint you could find on the car — and if you’re wondering why that matters, it is because it is important to note that it is not the same color. Rather, Eruption Green was inspired by an original Ford Bronco color, Mallard Green, but with updates to the color provided by modern paint technology to produce a deeper, more beautiful green color with higher quality paint. This isn’t completely unheard of, as McLaren did something similar with the 2021 McLaren GT, which is offered in Papaya Spark — though it is a more complex version of the original color which did not incorporate the same yellow flake, but both paints, unfortunately, go under the same name, which is rather confusing. To avoid this, the 2022 Ford Bronco green goes by Eruption Green, so no mistakes can be made there.

Why do brands reinvent the same colors with modern paint?

From a consumer standpoint, it may not seem obvious just how much automotive paint has changed in the past few decades, but it has greatly. You may have noticed that modern cars have a paint that seems to last longer and look fresher years after purchase, where many older vehicles began to show the effects of harmful UV rays even within the first few years of purchase. Manufacturers with a consumer basis that appreciate the brand’s heritage allow for the paint to be a medium through which we can make a simple and underrated nod toward older generations of vehicles, as McLaren has done with Papaya Spark and the same way the 2022 Ford Bronco does with Eruption Green. The benefits of reinventing the colors rather than creating new ones altogether or staying with the same old paint formulas are that we are able to enjoy the benefits of more modern paint qualities while still appreciating the most iconic colors of these keynote vehicles.