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(Every so often you get to do something that is not really work, but a hell of a lota fun) The Underwater Car |
| In the late 70's I was hired by
Toyota (Canada) to drive a version of their Diesel 4 WD Land Cruiser that
had been rigged with a 7 foot snorkel for both the intake and the exhaust.
Other than stripping out the upholstery, and removing the fan belt to reduce
the work load on the engine, this was a standard Diesel Toyota Land Cruiser.
As long as the throttle was in, and you did not touch the clutch, the damn
thing ran just great underwater. This was done (Obviously) as a promotional
stunt, and filmed by Cinematographer John Stoneman for a television special
called the Toyota 4 WD Showdown...
( I Got to drive this car underwater with the heater on ..hahaha, while John Froze his ass off). The Pictures (old polaroids) below are from the second test run and filming day at the Christian Island Government Dock on Georgian Bay. The very first test was at Darlington Point Provincial Park Lake Ontario. A Third run was made for a promotional half time show at the Labatts Participation Cup Boat Races in Hamilton Ontario, and as far as I know, the car was not used underwater again... You Can Click On the Pictures Below for a Slightly Larger View |
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| Loaded On the Trailer | Pointed at the Water | Ready to go | Heading Out |
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| Still Heading Out | Getting Deeper | Almost Under | Right Under |