After 25 years, the all-new 2021 Bronco has officially returned.

Though many vehicle designs start out as 2D sketches and then progress to 3D clay models, the all-new Bronco began its life a bit differently. Many may have noticed that it shares a lot of key design features with the 1966 original. What they may not know is Ford VP of Design Moray Callum’s personal 1976 Bronco inspired the all-new Bronco design — and it all began using 3D scanning technology on his classic SUV.

To develop the design, the team 3D scanned Moray’s Bronco to capture all the design details. The 3D scanner allowed Ford to capture the smallest details, even recording the ‘orange peel’ imperfections in painted surfaces down to thousands of a millimeter. Then, using virtual reality, the team was able to compare Callum’s Bronco side-by-side with the new Bronco themes. This is the same virtual reality technology design directors have been using at home to review vehicle programs through VR goggles.

Though the all-new Bronco was designed throughout frigid winter days in Dearborn, the last time the designers saw the vehicle was through an Oculus virtual reality headset, where they were sitting deep in a sun-drenched desert entirely made up of hundreds of millions of tiny polygons and pixels