OJ Simpson’s infamous white Ford Bronco watched by millions during THAT police chase goes up for auction… but it’ll set you back a cool £500,000
THE truck that OJ Simpson infamously fled from the police in following the murder of his wife Nicole and her friend has emerged for sale for £500,000.
Almost 100 million people watched on live TV as the American football star led 20 police cars and nine helicopters on a low-speed pursuit through Los Angeles in 1994.
Throughout the chase, movie star OJ Simpson held a gun to his head and threatened suicide while longtime friend Al Cowlings drove the white Ford Bronco.
Every major news network interrupted scheduled programming to cover the incident while thousands of people packed the sides of the roads to watch the truck pass by.
The chase came to an end when the pair pulled in to Simpson's mansion, where he was arrested for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her male friend, Ron Goldman.
Before the momentous murder trial that incredibly saw Simpson found not guilty, Mr Cowlings sold his Bronco to Simpson's former agent Mike Gilbert, who saw the motor as a shrewd £50,000 investment.
Mr Gilbert hastily stowed it away in a car park away from prying eyes, only going back once a year to check it was still in working order.
It has now been placed on display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Tennessee, where Mr Gilbert hopes it will attract someone who is willing to meet his £550,000 asking price.
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A Ford Bronco from the same year, 1993, without such a fascinating history would be worth only £1,350.
Damian Jones, a car auction specialist at British-based H&H Classics, said that the market for OJ memorabilia is especially strong now due to recent TV shows about him and his upcoming release from prison, where he's serving 33 years for armed robbery and kidnapping.
Mr Jones said: "Collectors are often attracted by a car with celebrity provenance, even if the person in question is infamous like OJ Simpson.
"It comes down to the fact that people like to own a piece of history and a possess a talking point, which this car certainly is.
"This is a good time to sell because Simpson is back in the public eye, which means the value of the car has gone up.
"If the ambitious asking price is met then it would be a Ford Bronco record by quite some distance."
The Bronco is identical to one owned by Simpson, which was found parked outside his house with Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman's blood on it.
That car was impounded and used as evidence in the trial before being destroyed.
Janine Vaccarello, of the Alcatraz East Crime Museum, said: "We are fortunate to have this piece of history in our collection - it's something that many of us watched and remember.
"This case was important for so many aspects of law enforcement from police procedures to DNA.
"This is a part of our country's history that millions are interested in and we have people visiting just to see the infamous Bronco."
The Bronco isn't the only piece of unusual Bronco memorabilia Gilbert owns, he also has the remaining fuel inside it from the day of the chase and the tyres.
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