Big jump results in massive damage to this off-roading Ford Explorer, likely marking the end of its days.
This week’s Freaky Friday video comes to us from the Outdoor Automotive YouTube channel and it features a 1999 Ford Explorer doing a little light off-roading. Well, it starts off as light off-roading, but it turns into more serious off-roading when it crosses a pond and soars through the air, landing in a not-so-friendly position.
Fortunately, this stunt made for a fun video, as this was very likely the last fun thing that this 1999 Ford Explorer ever did before heading off to the automotive graveyard.
The Last Ride
The video above begins with the 1999 Ford Explorer way off in the distance, sitting atop a hill overlooking a path that leads down to a small pond. The driver eases down the first hill, picking up speed as the path levels off and almost catching air as the Ford SUV makes a hard right towards the muddy pond.
The Explorer hits the pond at a point where it is just mud, easily blasting through the slop and hitting a dirt jump that tosses the old Ford up into the air. The lack of speed off of the jump and the awkward angle of the impromptu ramp cause the vehicle to nose-down hard on the landing. The impact smashed the front bumper and grille back towards the engine along with doing enough damage to the suspension to move back the front wheels.
A Violent End
As the Explorer coasts to a stop, the camera shows us antifreeze pouring from the undercarriage, as the front end may have smashed the radiator on the impact. In any case, the damage to the cooling system and the front suspension is severe enough that this 1999 Ford is likely in a junkyard now, if it hasn’t been parted out and crushed.
Crank up your speakers and enjoy. If you have an Explorer that you would like to kill, this looks like a fun way to say goodbye.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
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