F-150 shows off ‘Ford Tough’ in fantastic fashion, making short work of the studio wall.
This week’s Throwback Thursday video comes to us from the wage earner YouTube channel and it features an ad for the 1996 Ford F-150. This commercial was made for the Northwest Ford Dealers group so rather than just showing the truck in a studio, they take it to the wilderness by plowing through a wall in reverse.
1996 F-150 Versus a Wall
Most Ford F-150 commercials showcase the half-ton truck doing things like off-roading, towing, or hauling in a variety of settings while others just show the truck sitting in a studio. This ad starts off with the truck in a studio as the spokesman talks about how this new truck looks great in a showroom thanks to features like chrome wheels, power windows and tilt steering.
He goes on to point out that in the American Northwest, truck owners don’t live in the showroom, suggesting that other parts of the country have people living in their F-150s in the dealership.
He then shifts the truck into reverse, he floors the throttle, the engine revs to 4,000 rpm and the rear tires of the F-150 begin to smoke. A short time later, the truck accelerates quickly backwards, easily smashing through the rear wall and emerging into the wilderness. The F-150 is so tough that even the side mirrors tear pieces of the concrete wall away as the truck bursts out of the building.
The commercial ends with a few more details on the 1996 F-150, such as the class-leading 4.9-liter base engine while showing the bright red truck off in a much more attractive setting than the drab studio.
As “wow demos” go, this one is fairly ridiculous, but we bet that it drew plenty of attention on TV around the American Northwest.
"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.
