Going off-road is some of the most fun you’ll have in a vehicle. I’ve personally played co-driver in the Parker 425, mastered Moab passes, and conquered frozen terrain. And the more I go off-road, the more I realize: I know nothing about going off-road.
Ok, I do know a little bit: listen carefully to the experts—many of which are seen in these films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcag9jM5FkU
Why is the Chevrolet Corvair such an overlooked classic? It’s not from a lack of trying—as a publicity stunt, General Motors sent a few down to the Darien Gap, a small land mass between North and South America that’s classified—and always has been—as “impassable”. How did the Corvair do?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn7l3UDPV0M
"One of my favorite things about this vehicle is the total pure utility of it," says Josh Commons, "…the only creature comforts—apart from a heater—is that the seats are padded." One of our favorite films is of Commons and his Toyota FJ—his “rugged companion”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz0hN05GyLQ
If you’re going to build vehicles that are capable of traveling anywhere, it’s good business to allow newbies to sample off-roading in a controlled environment, and failing that, at least information on how customers can go off-road safely. Here’s Toyota’s, called Getting Through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUSTgfBDCbg
Land Rover Under Control is another instructional film, only from Land Rover and made a little later—with computer graphics!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3eKfL083ns
Our film on this Land Rover Series III is one of our favorites because if follows a simple formula: great vehicle, great owner, great location.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoX_g3bcABE
Against The Grain shows a Porsche 356 getting through some gnarly terrain, happily bouncing along as it conquers roads barely fit for a Ford Raptor. Bravo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VGv5KWuqkI
Shot by a BBC crew at the Rally 1000 Lakes Finland in 1973, this short film is a good primer on what international rallies looked like in the ’70s. Well worth the watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY2jvzAWR2k
In Britain, the U.S., and other countries, the Hare Scramble is an intense—and intensely-loved—form of two-wheeled competition. Here, relatively ‘tame’ footage from the UK sits beside a huge event held in the U.S. Mojave Desert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXzvx7Y5G4g
This Defender, a ‘she’, is named La Poderosa, meaning, “the powerful”, a name was given to the truck by a group of men who used to watch over a parking lot where the Land Rover was parked at night. The great thing about La Poderosa? When she’s not parked, she’s out driving in the middle of nowhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpNlLzwxY4U
You’ve heard of the Baja 1000…right? This short film, 27 Hours To La Paz, details the first race to La Paz from Mexico, and
Thumbnail image by Jeremy Heslup
