Watch as a Ford Ranger uses a massive bed-mounted parachute to go skydiving, in today’s “Throwback Thursday.”
Automakers perform all sorts of stunts with vehicles in commercials, in order to catch the attention of TV viewers. This week’s “Throwback Thursday” video features a 1983 Ford Ranger commercial might just have the most outlandish stunt of any truck commercial, ever.
As small trucks go, the Ford Ranger was always an industry leader when it was still offered in the USA. This commercial from mid-1983 explains why the Ranger is better than the competitors, at least at skydiving. With an optional V6, the Ranger had more power than the competitors from Chevrolet, Toyota and Nissan, while also having a wider cab – thus giving it the most passenger space of any truck in the segment.
Now, Ford could have included all of that information in a normal commercial, with the 1983 Ranger performing mundane tasks like taking the kids and their bikes to the park, or tailgating at a football game. But, that isn’t going to grab anyone’s attention!
Instead, Ford put together a fairly incredible stunt. When it reaches the cliff atop the hill, the midsize truck blasts right off of the edge, soaring through the sky with the greatest of ease. Notice that the nose doesn’t drop when the truck jumps off of the cliff, so this Ranger has clearly been weighted to keep the back end down and the front end up. That careful weight balance allows the huge parachute mounted in the bed to open and safely and lower the Ranger to the ground – where it cuts the cords and drives away.
"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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