So, last Friday afternoon found me comfortably ensconced on the 3rd floor balcony of a cozy beach house overlooking the southern tip of Saint Augustine Beach. Driving your car onto the beach to park is permitted here, and lots of people do just that.
But just because you're permitted doesn't mean you necessarily should. Looking directly between me and the beach, I spotted this hapless Mustang buried to its rear axle in the sand.
Pretty soon, a 4WD looking truck-ish vehicle pulled up with a tow rope. I decided to capture this adventure for posterity and grabbed a longer lens. To my shock and dismay, they popped the trunk and proceeded to tie the tow rope to the trunk latch.
I was a couple hundred yards away, too far to be heard but I was yelling anyway. All to no avail, the drivers got in their vehicles and the truckster gave it the gas while the Mustang driver didn't even bother putting his car in reverse. I knew this wasn't going to end well.
I could hear the tortured bending metal 'PANG!' all the way up on my balcony. The Mustang's wheels didn't even budge an inch... A hasty conference at the newly stretched trunk ensued.
About this time a bemused Sheriff's Deputy shows up with a shovel and a clue. The boys dig out the rear wheels and hook the tow rope up to something solid underneath and yank the car out of its hole (with the driver even putting the car in reverse and giving a hand this time!).
And all's well that ends well.
Except for the stretched rear end of the poor Mustang, which will obviously never close again without major help from a body shop.
Lesson being, don't try to tow your car by the trunk latch. It won't work.
But just because you're permitted doesn't mean you necessarily should. Looking directly between me and the beach, I spotted this hapless Mustang buried to its rear axle in the sand.
Pretty soon, a 4WD looking truck-ish vehicle pulled up with a tow rope. I decided to capture this adventure for posterity and grabbed a longer lens. To my shock and dismay, they popped the trunk and proceeded to tie the tow rope to the trunk latch.
I was a couple hundred yards away, too far to be heard but I was yelling anyway. All to no avail, the drivers got in their vehicles and the truckster gave it the gas while the Mustang driver didn't even bother putting his car in reverse. I knew this wasn't going to end well.
I could hear the tortured bending metal 'PANG!' all the way up on my balcony. The Mustang's wheels didn't even budge an inch... A hasty conference at the newly stretched trunk ensued.
About this time a bemused Sheriff's Deputy shows up with a shovel and a clue. The boys dig out the rear wheels and hook the tow rope up to something solid underneath and yank the car out of its hole (with the driver even putting the car in reverse and giving a hand this time!).
And all's well that ends well.
Except for the stretched rear end of the poor Mustang, which will obviously never close again without major help from a body shop.
Lesson being, don't try to tow your car by the trunk latch. It won't work.
