It's almost here!

Mark your calendars, truck fans. The 2021 Ford Bronco will finally make its long-awaited debut on Thursday, footballncrickethub.hpage.com July 9, the automaker confirmed in an Instagram post on Saturday.

The Bronco had been originally scheduled to debut in April -- Ford had even issued invitations for media to attend the big event. The coronavirus pandemic put the kibosh on those plans, however. While Ford maintained the Bronco would still debut this spring, a summertime debut on July 9 is now official, but it's not without controversy. As it turns out, July 9 is also O.J. Simpson's birthday.

As you likely recall, Simpson, the former superstar NFL running back, became inextricably linked with the Ford Bronco's history after his infamous slow-speed LA police chase on June 17, 1994 in a white 1993 Bronco. The nationally televised chase came in the aftermath of the death of the celebrity's wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

When reached for comment by Roadshow, Ford spokesman Mike Levine said the July 9 date's tie to O.J. "is purely coincidental."  

Of course, thanks to a number of leaked photos and details, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect when the 2021 Bronco shows its face. We know the SUV will have a removable roof and doors, and the Bronco will be available in two- and four-door variants. Power will likely come from the 2.3-liter turbo I4 engine found in the Ford Ranger, but we've heard a turbo V6 is also a possibility. A seven-speed manual transmission is in the cards, too.

In addition to the standard Bronco, there will be a second, smaller model, the Bronco Sport. While the big-boy Bronco should use body-on-frame architecture, it's rumored the Bronco Sport will use a unibody platform shared with other Ford vehicles.

Ford first confirmed the return of the Bronco nameplate at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, so to say we've been waiting for this for a while would be a huge understatement. We'll have all the details on July 9.