There is no back story to this week’s Muddy Monday feature but with a title like “Death of a Plymouth Acclaim” and the setting of an offroading area – you know that it has to be good. Oddly, this isnt just a couple guys out destroying a car as the Acclaim has obviously been prepped a great deal including what looks to be a full roll cage but the result is actually a pretty impressive offroad outing for the front wheel drive sedan.
This video is over 6 minutes long but all of the exciting Plymouth Acclaim off roading action takes place in the early parts of the video (before the guys shooting the video put handfuls of sand into the valve cover to blow the engine). The good portions of this piece show the Acclaim tearing around an area that would probably be a lot more fun in a four wheel drive truck or SUV but the little Plymouth sedan does pretty well for itself. At one point, the car appears to be up to the axles in dirt and while the driver can’t go forward – he effortlessly backs away from the hole that he had dug.
While there technically isnt any mud in this video, the off roading effort put forth by this Plymouth Acclaim as it drives its final miles makes this clip more than worthy of being featured here on DodgeForum.com. The video ends sadly with fire spitting from the top of the engine but as front wheel drive sedans go – this Acclaim makes for one great off roading video. Enjoy!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
