CC Commenter haroldinpatrick shot this incredible lash-up of two Buick Roadmasters “sweaving” on I-85, and left it in the comments at today’s Cadillac Fleetwood post. These deserve their own post, needless to say.
This is pretty surreal. On the other hand, it’s something I could have seen myself doing back in the day. Why hire a truck? I can do this myself…
Maybe it was the co-pilot’s idea.
If I saw that rolling disaster in the interstate, I would break the speed limit to get well ahead of it so when it all goes to hell, I’m not in the path of the shrapnel. Definitely not the co pilots idea, a dog would have more sense than to put a contraption like that on a public road.
Had traffic not been slowing from 70 to about 30, I would have used every last one of the 300 or so hp the Maxima I had at the time could muster. This fellow decided that he needed to be in the fast lane once traffic started slowing so he swerved to the left while braking, causing quite a bit of weaving back and forth between the two connected cars that took up both lanes and made everyone around him pucker up and get on their brakes even harder than they already were. I dropped the phone on the dash and slowed down as much as I dared in heavy traffic and drifted to the right shoulder just in case he needed three lanes. The first picture is about half a mile later after the sweave as I’m very relieved to be exiting and getting away from this guy. The funny thing is what caught my eye in the rear view mirror was the big dog – I was taking the picture to show my wife and daughter the old guy driving with his big dog. Obviously, I got a lot more than a cute dog picture.
The 21st century incarnation of the Joad family. There’s something quite disquieting about this scene.
What’s up with the duct tape on the front windows?
Are the rear windows knocked out or there film taped over them?
The letters on the tires look blueish, like they’re brand new. One colossal WTF!
This is a 90’s GM after all, the reason for the duct tape is probably that the windows fall down left to their own devices. GM used shitty plastic clips to attach the window supports to the regulators, which eventually become brittle and crack/break. This results in windows that start to go down under their own weight, and go down a little more every time you hit a bump in the road. You have to either manually pull your window back up every time you arrive at your destination, wedge something in the bottom of the window against the dew wipe to stop it falling, or block it inside the door.
(Or buy the clips and fix it properly, but when the problem was occurring on my wife’s Alero, it really chafed me to pay GM $40 for a bag with two little plastic clips inside it…)
Gadzooks it is the modern day Joads!! Or I could be assuming too much. The Smiling Faces Beautiful Places South Carolina plate on the Buick being towed has not been road legal in over 5 years since it was replaced by the Palmetto Sunrise base. These two Buicks really should not be in the car left lane for sure and wonder if the Buick being towed is in Neutral or had its drivetrain removed. Guess the owner likes their Gold Buick enough to protect it from gettting chaffed by cargo straps.
I have seen the craziest shit on Interstates in Dixie from flat tows like this, clapped out heaps, and locals who create their own off or on ramps which can be annoying as they fling and leave mud around while getting on. Seen some crazy sights on I-5 in California, but none of those come that close to topping this.
I’ve heard of bringing some spare parts along for a long trip, but this guy thought of everything.
CC effect! A couple hours ago I saw a Pinto station wagon similarly equipped. Ductape instead of glass, BIG tires jammed into the whole interior, and a BIG tire strapped on top. All body panels were different colors from different cars. A pinto Pinto.
Sounded good, though. Properly maintained and tuned engine despite all the other stuff.
I wonder what’s going on there. Moving? Trip to the scrapyard? Bringing home a new project?
Can’t Roadmasters tow 5000 pounds? It seems like getting the U-Haul trailer or dolly would have been a much better idea….
The 5000lb would be with brakes on the towed vehicle/trailer though?
What’s the problem? Flat towing with a car meant to tow with! As for being in the left lane, he’s pretty confident of his “rig”. I’d do it.
For sale. 2 Buick Roadmasters, one runs well equipped with trailer hitch. One parts car equipped with tow bar, missing glass used to repair tow car. Tons of extra parts included in sale. Wife wants all gone in 24 hours or she will be. $200.00 cash. First person to arrive must leave with everything in 1 hour or less.
Does “everything” include the dog too?
Giving all new meaning to the phrase “cluster f-word.”
What was this guy thinking? Johannes Dutch could tow that with a DAF 66! 😉
Saw this related story last week on the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-33608816
‘summonsed’ !!! Come on BBC, where’s your grammar these days!
I’m not very familiar with British English, but I think that is a word in their language.
British words have some of my favourite spellings 😉
Perfectly good word.
It’s a stupid word, but yes, apparently it’s a word.
As in “you have been issued with a summons” – hence “summonsed”.
Funny, I just saw a Roadmaster like those above yesterday. It was beaten, and I just laughed to myself and shook my head, thinking how far American cars had sunk since the 50s. At least back then they made attractive barges, not so for this porcine Roadmaster.
I suspect the owner’s compound was discovered by the black helicopters, so it’s time to load up, don a tinfoil hat, and get while the gettin’ is good!
But, those cars have EFI. He clearly needs a 1970s Buick Estate.
Step 1: attach rally wheels from 70’s Estate to 90’s Roadmaster.
If he found a Roadmaster wagon he might not have needed to strap crap to the roof.
Parts car easiest way to move it Ive done this a few times only had it go wrong once, and that was minor.
how can a guy that used to stand up in the back of pickup trucks get worked up about this? granted the roadmasters should stay in the right lane and keep it close to the speed limit.
I hope the steering on the gold Roadmaster being towed is somehow locked and remains that way throughout the trip.
I don’t think you mean that. That would be a utter disaster. The steering specifically has to be unlocked, so the rear car can track the front car, like a two-axle trailer.
This kind of flat towing works quite well, actually, as long as the front car isn’t too overwhelmed by the size and weight of the rear car. I once towed my ’63 VW Beetle some 500 miles behind a ’74 Corolla 1600. It tracked beautifully.
I flat towed a BMW 2002 from Lafayette, IN to Kenosha, WI (about 200 miles) behind my ’76 VW Dasher. It towed very well. I did not, however, have all of my personal belongings strapped to the roof.
Yo dawg, I heard you liked Roadmasters, so I attached a Roadmaster to your Roadmaster so you could Roadmaster while you Roadmaster.
This is further evidence that this country is sliding into 3rd world status. Pitiful.
Ain’t that the truth!!
It’s not a recent slide. About 1967 I saw a car towing an old Pontiac like this and yes, it was full. He was also in the left lane. Got to whipping and ended up with 8 wheels up on the center medium. I70, somewhere in Missouri.
I’ve towed cars with a tow bar. Prefer a tow dolly so I got one. You just need to be careful and this guy isn’t.
Proving once again that stupid can’t be fixed .
-Nate
Like Forest Gump said-“stupid is as stupid does”.
Amen brother!!!
The funny thing is : as a poor Farm Boy I/we did some _really_ stupid things but going in the fast lane with this mechanized death train beats ’em all hands down .
-Nate
I really would prefer him in front of me than behind me.
god help you if you have to make a hi-speed panic stop and have 10,000lbs of roadmaster express on your back bumper!
I know buick’s are supposed to have good brakes but……..
Reminds me of the Ciera wagon I’ve seen around here driven by an old lady and completely filled with trash
That poor dog.
I see things like this all the time on the freeway during my commutes or personal trips. Off of the top of my head, I’ve spotted an older Ford Crown Vic with a window air conditioner installed in the passenger window, with plywood holding it in (I don’t know what use a household AC would have in a car–the bigger concern is how it will stay in the window going 60-70 mph); a barbecue grill strapped upright to the top of a newer Volkswagen Jetta; and what appeared to be pieces (of whatever could fit) of a chopped-up Ford Aerostar in the bed of a beat 70s-early-80s Chevy pickup.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen disabled cars being pulled by rope or chain down the freeway and busy roadways or have driven behind heavy loads in truckbeds and trailers lacking proper security. Then there’s the occasional bomb of a car, usually loaded down with junk and belching blue smoke–struggling to go 40 in a 65 mph zone, and for some reason, they appear out of nowhere–they just merge aside you on the freeway and could blow their engine or transmission any second. These situations scare me about as equally as speed demons, idiots that text and drunk drivers.
Nothing unusual. You see these things every day in Russia.
” Nothing unusual. You see these things every day in Russia. ”
Yes , along with the completely stupid and unnecessary carnage and deaths on the dash cams……
-Nate
Of course.
In Soviet Russia, Roadmaster tows you!
At least he is using the 95-96 with lt1 350 to tow the 91-94
The CC Effect strikes again – sort of. After reading this entry last night, I was leafing through a February 1979 issue of Special Interest Autos.
One of the articles detailed a couple’s attempt to tow a 1960 Ford Thunderbird with their classic 1960 Ford Thunderbird. This was in late 1978, and both Thunderbirds were rare sunroof-equipped models. The husband was driving their 1960 Edsel, and the wife was driving the Thunderbird. She somehow ended up with both cars upside-down in the median strip. At least she wasn’t hurt.
We see many iterations of this concept several times a day, here in south texas along all the highways that lead to the mexican border. Usually small car pulling a mostly wrecked small car. Now and then a half ton truck pulling two cars both loaded with salable junk. And convoys of school buses traveling 2 by 2 is very common. Altho I will say they rarely exceed 50mph while doing it.
My 94 Roadmaster Estate wagon towed my 84 vanagon from Ohio to Texas. But of course I had a tow dolly. Never a hiccup. Paid $1600 for the vanagon. Paid $2500 for the Buick. Still have them both. Don’t underestimate these things.