So, late last night I did a Cold Start about how funny this Tesla Cybertruck video seemed with this Cybertruck taking a big load of dirt and then enclosing it under the tonneau cover, and the video made it look like the dirt was really valuable. Of course, the reason to cover dirt is the same as why you’d put a tarp over it – to keep it from flying out! It was late and I wasn’t thinking, and, if I may kvetch a bit, one of my surgery scars has swollen with this big gross lump, so maybe I was distracted and not really considering all the implications of dirt in trucks. That’s on me.
So, let’s just say that Cold Start is null and void, and I’m going to give you an all-new one, themed around trucks. Up top we have my old ’95 Isuzu Pickup, named just “Pickup” because everyone creative at Isuzu I think was so delighted at the Joe Isuzu ads they just knocked off for the rest of the year. And that’s why we ended up with Pickup trucks named “Pickup.”
Also, please note that it’s hauling some giant space invaders, which were for an art installation I did way back when. That’s when I decided I’d start making sculptures that were modular or at least lighter than those beasts.
Do you remember the old Joe Isuzu ads? They were gold.
You need to see some more old trucks, I think. Like this one, from Prince, the now-defunct carmaker that was bought by Nissan in the 1960s:
I really like the slightly grimacing face of these old Prince trucks. You know what else Prince started? The Skyline! Yes, the legendary Nissan Skyline started out as a Prince!
More trucks, let’s see. How about a really weird Volkswagen one? A Turkish/Indonesian Volkswagen one? It’s called the VW EA489 Basistransporter:
Look at this thing: it’s essentially another version of the VW Hormiga, a primarily Mexican-market very basic pickup truck that used a VW Type 1 engine flipped backwards, up front, driving the front wheels. I’ve written about these before. But there was another version, made in Turkey and Indonesia, that used a different cab than the Hormiga. where the Hormiga used a very crude cab made of all flat panels and sharp angles, the EA489 used modified versions of the normal Type 2 front end, but with grilles that seemed to be made of the fresh air intake louvers of the normal Type 2 and some strange locally-designed doors.
These things are fascinating. I’ve yet to see one in person, but I’m hopeful. They all seemed to have different indicator light solutions, too, which is exciting.
Anyway, sorry about my lapse of judgement regarding dirt and covers in beds.
> the Hormiga used a very crude cab made of all flat panels and sharp angles
Not another article about the Cybertruck!
I love how you mulligan’d the article but the tags and comments are still about the cyber-truck, leading google to point to an article about Isuzu Pickups when people search for Tesla dirt, glorious!
Did you drive east, then south, then west, then south, then east, etc. until you arrived? And did you get faster as you got closer to your destination?
For such a mensch, never would have guessed you’re a pixel packer.
Oh man, I lusted after the Impulse back in the day.
Me too! According to Joe Isuzu the Impulse Turbo was faster than a speeding bullet!
Absolutely nothing of value to say here except that, THIS SITE IS SO AWESOME!
Okay, I have that out of my system now. That is all. Have a nice day. Thank you.
“You know what else Prince started? The Skyline! Yes, the legendary Nissan Skyline started out as a Prince!”
Yeah, it’s always pretty astonishing to read about how they stuffed six-cylinder engines in family cars and took them racing against high-performance Porsches where one Prince actually briefly overtook such a Porsche, leading for a good while and bringing the spectating crowd to their feet, and actually managing a podium finish; some people do know about that but plenty of others don’t so here’s a pretty good write-up: https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/friday-video-nissan-skyline-s54-gt-b-vs-porsche-904/
Too late to edit and add this, but it bears repeating that those Princes were family cars, that is, four-door sedans. To accommodate the inline six they added 20 centimeters (7.87 inches) to the front end which resulted in sub-optimal handling, making the brief overtaking of that Porsche 904 all the more remarkable.
I first saw a Prince Skyline GT at Lakeside Raceway, outside Brisbane Aus, around 1966. I was quite young but my father ran a Lotus Cosworth Cortina there and the Prince was on display in the pits. I was very impressed even then, they had triple sidedraft, (I think) Solex carbies and had a five speed box, quite advanced for their time. I knew a guy many years later that owned one, he loved it.
Thanks for the Joe Isuzu ads.
Too bad he’s not running for president in 24. I would vote for that guy in a second.
TIL that Joe Isuzu was played by an actor named David Leisure. That is a fantastic name, and in my mind, he also invented or at least inspired the Leisure Suit.
That was Larry.
That truck in the new top shot is either much smaller than one might think, or Legos have gotten much larger.
Those are either Legos for giants or a truck and trailer for ants.
Don’t litter – cover your load.
Especially if you enjoy being child-free.
I’m hoping the picture of the front suspension on that Prince is supposed to show off the amount of travel, not that the axle is falling off.
Also, get that incision checked out. The last thing you need is an infection.
I see lots of people always pointed out the obvious answer, but it is for the same reason dump trucks have those deployable covers over their beds..to minimize things blowing out. Do YOU want to be the guy behind someone with a bed full of dirt and and no cover?
The only thing flying out of your bed should be empty beer cans. /s