The white Ford Bronco from the famous June 17, 1994, police chase is still publicly listed as being on display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. But the vehicle is often misidentified: it was a 1993 Ford Bronco owned and driven by Al Cowlings. O.J. Simpson was riding in the back seat.
The Bronco’s private owners announced plans to sell it in 2024 for at least $1.5 million, but no completed sale or confirmed new owner has been publicly documented. The strongest current evidence still places the chase vehicle at the Tennessee museum.
The short answer
- Vehicle: White 1993 Ford Bronco
- Owner and driver during the chase: Al Cowlings
- Passenger: O.J. Simpson
- Public plate identifier: California plate 3DHY503
- Current public location: Alcatraz East Crime Museum, 2757 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- 2024 sale: Announced as a plan, but no completed sale has been publicly confirmed
Calling it “O.J. Simpson’s Bronco” is understandable because Simpson was the celebrity at the center of the chase, but it is technically wrong. Simpson owned a second, nearly identical white Bronco. That other vehicle—not the one followed by police—was seized as evidence and later destroyed.
There were two nearly identical white Broncos
The central fact behind most confusion is that Simpson and Cowlings had separate white Broncos. The chase vehicle was Cowlings’ 1993 Ford Bronco. ESPN’s review of registration, title, license-plate and VIN records identified Cowlings as its owner, while the Alcatraz East museum identifies the vehicle in its collection as the original chase Bronco.
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| Vehicle | Owner | Role in the story | What happened to it |
|---|---|---|---|
| White 1993 Ford Bronco | Al Cowlings | Vehicle used in the televised police pursuit; Cowlings drove and Simpson rode in the back | Privately owned and displayed at Alcatraz East Crime Museum |
| Simpson’s similar white Bronco | Reportedly associated with Hertz, for which Simpson was a spokesman | Found outside Simpson’s Rockingham estate and treated as an evidence vehicle | Impounded and later destroyed |
The Hertz ownership detail comes from ESPN’s account and should not be confused with Cowlings’ directly documented ownership of the chase Bronco. The two vehicles looked alike because, according to the museum, Cowlings deliberately bought a Bronco matching Simpson’s make and model.
Simpson’s separate Bronco was found outside his estate after Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were killed. Reporting described traces of blood associated with the victims in that vehicle. That evidence was connected to Simpson’s Bronco—not to the Bronco driven by Cowlings during the chase.
What happened during the June 17, 1994, chase?
The pursuit took place on Friday, June 17, five days after the killings and after Simpson failed to surrender as authorities expected. Cowlings was behind the wheel, while Simpson was in the rear of the Bronco.
A Los Angeles Times timeline gives these key times:
- 5:51 p.m.: Simpson reportedly made a 911 call from a cellular phone in the Bronco.
- 5:56 p.m.: The California Highway Patrol began the pursuit.
- During the pursuit: The Bronco traveled through portions of the Santa Ana, Artesia and San Diego freeways.
- 7:57 p.m.: Cowlings and Simpson arrived at Simpson’s Brentwood home.
- 8:47 p.m.: Police issued an all-clear after Simpson was taken into custody.
Accounts sometimes describe the event as a roughly 90-minute chase and sometimes as lasting closer to two hours. Those descriptions are measuring different portions of the incident. The narrower figure generally refers to the televised pursuit, while broader accounts include the initial call, the freeway operation, the arrival at the house and the subsequent police standoff and surrender negotiations.
Audience estimates also vary. The event was watched by tens of millions of people; commonly cited estimates range from about 90 million to nearly 100 million viewers. The museum and other coverage have cited an estimate of approximately 95 million.
Why is it sometimes called a “getaway car”?
“Getaway car” is common headline shorthand, but “chase vehicle” is more accurate. Cowlings drove the Bronco during the slow-speed police pursuit. Simpson was the passenger, and police eventually took him into custody at his Brentwood property. Calling the Bronco a getaway car can also imply a criminal conclusion that the vehicle itself does not establish.
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Simpson was acquitted in the 1995 criminal trial involving the killings. He was later found liable for the deaths in a civil case. The Bronco is an artifact of the pursuit and its extraordinary media coverage; its existence does not independently prove criminal guilt.
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Cowlings reportedly wanted to get rid of the vehicle after the attention surrounding the pursuit. One proposed deal involved memorabilia collector Michael Kronick and his company, Startifacts. The reported arrangement called for $75,000 and 250 signed photographs.
Cowlings backed out after learning that the proposed business would use the Bronco for commercial tours recreating the chase and visiting Nicole Brown Simpson’s grave. Kronick later sued Cowlings, and the case was settled in 1996 for an undisclosed amount. The proposed tours are an important part of the vehicle’s history because they help explain why Cowlings did not immediately allow it to become a commercial attraction.
The Bronco was eventually purchased for $75,000 by Simpson’s former agent Michael Gilbert and associates connected to Cowlings. ESPN identifies Michael Pulwer among the owners and refers to another person as “Stan.” The History account identifies that third person as Stanley Stone, Cowlings’ attorney. Because the reports differ over the ownership roster, it is more precise to describe the vehicle as being acquired by Gilbert, Pulwer and another associate rather than present every part of the roster as settled.
It spent roughly 17 years in a Los Angeles parking garage
From approximately 1995 until 2012, the Bronco was stored in a Los Angeles condominium parking garage. According to ESPN’s reporting, it was largely left untouched. Gilbert said fewer than 20 miles were added after the chase, while the owners periodically changed the batteries and occasionally drove it to keep it running.
Available mileage records are more precise than the often-repeated claim that the vehicle has “around 32,000 miles.” ESPN reported 34,244 miles in June 1995 and 34,254 miles in September 2015. Those figures support the description of a carefully preserved, relatively low-mileage vehicle for its age, but they do not establish that the Bronco is currently roadworthy.
The Bronco returned to public view at the Luxor
In 2012, someone connected with the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas located the Bronco. It was displayed outside the hotel for several months as part of a sports memorabilia exhibition.
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The owners reportedly rejected moving it inside the hotel because doing so would have required dismantling the vehicle. After the Luxor display ended, it spent time in a Las Vegas parking lot and then in Gilbert’s California garage. It was later loaned for display at Alcatraz East Crime Museum.
What happened on Pawn Stars?
The Bronco appeared on Pawn Stars in the episode “If the Pawn Don’t Fit,” which aired August 14, 2017. The official episode listing describes Rick Harrison test-driving the vehicle while considering whether to buy it. A video from the episode is also available.
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Gilbert reportedly sought about $1.3 million for the Bronco and later reduced the asking price to approximately $1.25 million. Harrison declined to purchase it. The episode was not a sale, and the Bronco did not leave the program with a new owner.
Was the Bronco sold in 2024?
Not according to any publicly verified sale record available for this report.
In April 2024, the private owners said they intended to sell the chase Bronco around the 30th anniversary of the pursuit. They reportedly wanted at least $1.5 million. Earlier coverage had discussed a top offer of approximately $750,000.
That announcement should be described carefully:
- Accurate: The owners announced plans to sell the Bronco.
- Possible but not established: The vehicle may have been offered privately or through a sale effort.
- Not publicly confirmed: A completed transaction, sale price or new owner.
The museum’s current artifact page still identifies the same original Bronco as being on display. A September 2025 museum release also said the chase vehicle remained on display. That is strong evidence of its public location, but it does not prove that the museum owns the Bronco. Older reporting describes the arrangement as a loan, and displaying a vehicle is not the same as holding title to it.
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As of the latest public information reviewed on August 10, 2026, the chase Bronco is displayed at:
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2757 Parkway
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
The museum’s current visitor information lists daily hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the last ticket sold one hour before closing. The museum warns that hours can change for holidays, special events and seasonal reasons, so visitors should confirm the schedule before traveling.
The museum’s display claim, the ownership history, the matching plate and the registration and VIN records reviewed by ESPN together make a strong public case that this is the Bronco used in the chase. That wording is more precise than claiming a new independent forensic authentication: the available evidence supports the vehicle’s identification through records, owners and museum documentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened to Simpson’s other white Bronco?
Simpson’s similar Bronco did not follow the same path. It was found outside his Rockingham estate and seized as evidence. After the trial, it was eventually destroyed, according to ESPN, History and Biography.com.
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That distinction explains both why the famous chase vehicle survived and why photographs of two white Broncos sometimes appear in coverage of the case:
- Cowlings’ Bronco was the vehicle seen on television, remained privately controlled and was preserved as a cultural artifact.
- Simpson’s Bronco was the evidence vehicle connected to the investigation and was later destroyed.
Neither vehicle should be casually described as the other. In particular, the museum Bronco should not be said to contain the blood evidence associated with Simpson’s separate vehicle.
Why the chase Bronco remains significant
The Bronco became famous because the pursuit unfolded live on television, interrupting regular programming and turning a police operation into a shared national broadcast. Its significance comes from several overlapping histories: celebrity culture, the rise of round-the-clock television coverage, policing and media spectacle, and the public discussion surrounding domestic violence and the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
That history is also why the vehicle deserves more careful treatment than a simple celebrity-car headline. It is not merely an unusual Ford with a famous passenger. It is the physical object associated with one of the most watched televised pursuits in American history, while the story surrounding it remains inseparable from two victims and a highly consequential criminal and civil case.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Was the white Bronco from the chase actually O.J. Simpson’s?
No. The chase Bronco was owned by Al Cowlings, who drove it during the pursuit. Simpson was riding in the back. Simpson owned a separate, nearly identical white Bronco that was seized as evidence and later destroyed.
Who was driving the Bronco during the chase?
Al Cowlings was driving. O.J. Simpson was the passenger in the rear of the 1993 white Ford Bronco.
Where can I see the chase Bronco?
It is publicly listed as displayed at Alcatraz East Crime Museum, 2757 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Check the museum’s official website before visiting because hours and displays can change.
Was the Bronco sold in 2024?
The private owners announced plans to sell it for at least $1.5 million in April 2024, but no completed sale, sale price or confirmed new owner has been publicly verified.
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The museum confirms that the Bronco is on display, but its current page does not establish that the museum owns it. Earlier reporting described the arrangement as a loan.
Is this the Bronco that contained blood evidence from the murders?
No. The blood evidence was associated in reporting with Simpson’s separate white Bronco found outside his Rockingham estate. The museum vehicle was Cowlings’ chase Bronco.
How many miles are on the chase Bronco?
ESPN reported title and odometer records showing 34,244 miles in June 1995 and 34,254 miles in September 2015. The often-repeated figure of around 32,000 miles is less reliable.
Was the Bronco really on Pawn Stars?
Yes. It appeared in the episode “If the Pawn Don’t Fit,” which aired August 14, 2017. Rick Harrison test-drove it while considering a purchase but ultimately declined to buy it.
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The Bottom Line
The famous chase vehicle survives because it belonged to Al Cowlings, not O.J. Simpson. It was preserved, displayed at the Luxor and featured on Pawn Stars before becoming an attraction at Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge. Although its owners announced a $1.5 million sale plan in 2024, no completed sale has been publicly confirmed.
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