A heavily modified, six-wheel Ram 1500 TRX bit the dust – literally – after a YouTube stunt went horribly wrong.
What should you do when you're in possession of a V8-powered, six-wheeled, glorified monster truck like the Ram 1500 TRX 6x6 Warlord?
Don't drive it headfirst into a pile of dirt, for starters.
That's what occured in the latest stunt-gone-wrong to come out of the Wild West of automotive YouTube – where there's apparently a very fast and loose interpretation of what "road-testing" means.
In a video posted in late June 2022 – but which has only just started to gather traction online – US-based YouTube channel The Triple F Collection attempted to jump a Ram 1500 TRX 6x6 Warlord over a ditch. Spoiler alert: it didn't go well.
The 6x6 Warlord is an aftermarket conversion of Ram's V8-powered 1500 TRX ute, carried out by Florida-based Apocalypse Motors to the tune of about $US250,000, or $AU356,000 in round numbers.
As part of the conversion, the supercharged Ram 1500 TRX gains extra power, an additional axle (and with it two extra wheels), massive all-terrain tyres, and six-wheel-drive capabilities.
To put this intimidating package to the test, the Triple F Collection team decided to jump the Ram off a ramp they built on a private property.
Despite successfully completing the jump 15 times prior – the YouTubers inexplicably decided to make the ramp bigger, with a shorter gap, and then attempt to drive the oversized Ram over it at roughly 50km/h while using cruise control.
Alexa, play 'Another One Bites the Dust' by Queen.
You can watch the cringe-inducing moment at the 2:47 mark in the video below:
Interestingly, the airbags didn't deploy – and the host in the passenger seat was a little worse for wear – but reportedly no-one was seriously injured.
"It wasn't fast enough. I don't think cruise control is the answer ... we were basically in a car accident guys," one of the hosts says in the clip.
Thankfully, the entire thing was conducted on private property – which isn't always the case.
In fact, it's the latest on a long string of elaborate stunts involving off-roaders from US YouTubers – some of which have resulted in legal action.
In early 2021, YouTuber Street Speed 717 jumped his Ram 1500 TRX over a creek and was fined $US53,000 ($AU75,000) for damage to the environment.
More recently, Indiana-based YouTuber Whistlin' Diesel has been on a quest to destroy his Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen via series of bizarre and increasingly elaborate stunts, including dropping it through a house.
Susannah Guthrie has been a journalist since she was 18, and has spent the last two years writing about cars for Drive, CarAdvice, CarSales and as a motoring columnist for several in-flight and hotel magazines. Susannah’s background is news journalism, followed by several years spent in celebrity journalism, entertainment journalism and fashion magazines and a brief stint hosting a travel TV show for Channel Ten. She joined Drive in 2020 after spending a year and a half at the helm of Harper’s BAZAAR and ELLE’s online platforms. Susannah holds a Bachelor in Media and Communications from the University of Melbourne and cut her teeth as an intern for Time Inc in New York City. She has also completed a television presenting course with the National Institute of Dramatic Art. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and her one-year-old son who, despite her best efforts, does not yet enjoy a good road trip.
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Copyright Drive.com.au 2022ABN: 84 116 608 158
Copyright Drive.com.au 2022ABN: 84 116 608 158
DAP Pricing– Unless otherwise stated, all prices are shown as Manufacturer's Recommended List Price (MRLP) inclusive of GST, exclusive of options and on road costs.