Ye Olde Videoe Clippe Threade

[BigV]

Originally Posted by barefoot serpent

I'm not sure how you can ever live down being run over by your own car...

http://www.otbackup.net/files/AdriaBmwDriftCrash.mpg

...that is, assuming he lived.

When I was young and dumb, we did something like this for fun. It turned out a little different, thankfully. We went to a big parking lot at the mall. I was driving a 1969 VW Beetle at the time. I noticed that if I was backing up and had the wheel cranked all the way to the left or right (left was easier, I don't dare say safer, because the driver's door was then on the inside of the circle) and eased out the clutch, the car would obediently idle along in a nice circle. And thanks to some interesting German geometry in the steering, there was no inclination for the steering to return to center. I leave the why as an exercise for the mechanical engineers in the audience.

Putt putt putt putt around she went. The car had small but functional running boards on it and we stood on them, waving to each other in our little one car circular parade. I don't know who was the first one to step off, but once we did, we found the car utterly unimpressed with its new driverless condition.

Putt putt putt putt, round and round and round. At idle the little car chugged along about as fast as a fast walk. We pretened it was a bull as we waved an imaginary cape in front of it. Putt putt putt. We pretened to be scared of the car and ran away (in a circle, of course) from it as it "chased us down". Thank god no one tripped and fell. Though light, the little car didn't have much ground clearance and we would have had some serious scrapes at best.

Run run run, putt putt putt. I was running away from it and getting a little dizzy going in circles, and I stopped for a moment, since I had a pretty big head start. Well as the car backed toward me, instead of running away again, I stepped toward the advancing back bumper, up onto the license plate light, the rear window and with another step was on top of the car!

Putt putt putt putt. I went around once, but because I was laughing so hard, we were all laughing, and because there was nothing to hold onto up there, I walked forward to the windshield, stepped down onto the hood, made a bit of a left turn to the inside front fender and then jumped off.

Everybody got a turn, no one got run over, the car didn't get any permanent dents, and we didn't even get in trouble with the mall security. Man, that was fun. I miss that little old car. Putt putt putt.