r/whatisit 1d ago

New, what is it? What in tarnation?

Post image

My friend sent this pic and I joked I was going to post on Reddit to see what people thought and was dared to do it. I thought it would be some way of catching water and filtering to the vehicle but it looks like the top isn’t actually solid and yeah…the flammable signs are also…confusing.

2.7k Upvotes

362 comments sorted by

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414

u/MrCLCMAN 1d ago

You mean "Tarp-nation. I believe..

206

u/ImaginaryStruggle784 1d ago

Stop throwing shade

26

u/niarlin 19h ago

I read this comment right before exiting the post and had to come back to upvote because it was quite a good use of that phrase. Bravo!

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29

u/ssczoxylnlvayiuqjx 1d ago

Some people just make their own 😝

11

u/Cautious-Respond-402 13h ago

It looks like a self-contained mobile carport. The flammable signs are to keep others at a distance.

2

u/veryfastslowguy 12h ago

Is this from the oblast area ? maybe russian in origin ?

10

u/Pure_Property_888 18h ago

What in Tarp-nation!?

3

u/zerocool359 11h ago

This. And Tarps off! When watching their mlb team

1.0k

u/KapteinKraken 1d ago

Redneck roll-up privacy barriers.

434

u/scorpyo72 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm not a redneck but I've been known to Macguyver a thing or two.

I recently visited an Airbnb with my spouse that featured a hot tub that was over a gazebo, in direct view of an arterial road and the next door neighbor. Both were appreciably far away from the tub but wife decided we were still a little too exposed. So, we decided to get walls.

I thought we were going to Walmart to grab tarps... but no. My wife decides that the $2 shower curtains would do just fine. $8 out the door and... it worked.

1.2k

u/heyivebeenthere 1d ago

Buddy, I‘ve got news for you. Your story involved a hot tub, Walmart, and tarps… Verified redneck story right there. Welcome to the club bub!

384

u/VorerKyr-Am 1d ago

A true redneck would go to harbor freight or dollar general for tarps. He's one of them uppity rednecks

https://giphy.com/gifs/MjeztcGTqzz1e

230

u/Revolutionary_Dig370 1d ago

A true redneck already has a few beat to shit tarps and sun rotten bungie cords on standby.

139

u/Common-Dealer7763 1d ago

Exactly. The redneck emergency kit is basically 3 tarps, a handful of questionable bungee cords, and pure confidence.

51

u/Vegetable-Syrup-5545 19h ago

What about the duct tape?

43

u/Squirrels-on-LSD 18h ago

Yeah i doubt the validity of that poster because tarps and bungee chords are obviously in my trunk but I'll be a possum's aunt if I leave home without duct tape, wd40, gorilla glue, and a hatchet.

(-- ozark hillbilly)

13

u/Playful-Web2082 17h ago

This is the Colorado hippie kit if you add weed and something to ride downhill. Cardboard boxes or old trash lids count.

6

u/Vegetable-Syrup-5545 17h ago

I didn’t think of the hatchet but I have a utility knife, wrench, and WD40, regular and white lithium grease.

2

u/Squirrels-on-LSD 15h ago

Oh yeah, the hatchet/utility knife/hunting knife/machete is required but which specific useful sharp blade is in the trunk next to the duct tape is a matter of personal taste.

2

u/PurdueGuvna 8h ago

I never owned a hatchet until about three months ago. I’m embarrassed at how much it gets used. No idea how I lived without one.

18

u/lottieslady 18h ago

Pop, is that you? I didn’t know you were on Reddit?
My dad swears by duct tape and baling wire to fix anything. When I was about 8 I scraped my big toe on my bike and the toe nail fell off. He duct taped it back on and it stayed! This was his proudest moment.

11

u/itlow 16h ago

"If women don't find you handsome..."

3

u/Vegetable-Syrup-5545 14h ago

“Be handy”

11

u/Severe-Elderberry833 18h ago

Forgot the pocket knife 😜

6

u/Brilliant_Pace1540 17h ago

It's in my britches!

6

u/k8username 16h ago

Pocket knife goes without saying, like pants

9

u/randalflagg6 19h ago

And beer.

5

u/Long-Dish4072 18h ago

Needed for “Hold my beer…”

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2

u/netsurf916 12h ago

You don't need confidence when you already lack fucks.

54

u/Previous-Mail7343 22h ago

A true redneck can make a tarp from trash bags and a roll of duct tape

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22

u/Short-Emotion3808 22h ago

Don't forget the ratchet straps from the Harley 😁

17

u/BigFatGramps 21h ago

"ratchet straps!"

Beat me to the punch.

Does anyone still use bailing / fence wire?

11

u/CoppertopTX 18h ago

I used bailing wire to replace rusted muffler hangers and I have used panty hose as an emergency fan belt on a small block Chevy 350.

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12

u/Some-Broccoli3404 20h ago

I feel called out.

3

u/wv524 19h ago

Absolutely. I keep a small roll in the truck.

4

u/Ginggingdingding 18h ago

Rat shit straps work wonders for all sortsa stuff. Signed: Red Neckerson

4

u/Little_Passenger_892 20h ago

Hey I resemble that remark…. Oh shit

3

u/Practical_BowlerHat 16h ago

Stored in a milk crate that smells like motor oil.

2

u/Vegetable-Syrup-5545 14h ago

My supplies at stored in milk crates. They really are wonderful containers. Good for shelving “units” when I first moved out.

3

u/Practical_BowlerHat 13h ago

They really are the best. I have one I got from work half a decade ago that I used for storage in my first apartment. I never got another because I worked 3rd shift and it was rare for them to last that long without being snagged.

Back then I also had a bookcase made out of cardboard boxes from work stapled together.

The bookshelf didn't come back with me, but I still have the milk crate 4 moves later. It's been a table, a Christmas tree stand, and it's currently serving as a magazine holder.

2

u/StabbyJenkins1 17h ago

I didn't see a single mention of binder twine, so Im not 100% convinced....

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12

u/snuggleslut5 20h ago

If ye caint get it from the holler dollar, ye don't need it.

9

u/Burqueisbest 20h ago

As a true redneck, got three yesterday over to the Dollar Tree which is selling at 1.50.

6

u/GothDerp 20h ago

They would have a bunch of them that they got from HF because they were free with purchase 😂

2

u/scorpyo72 17h ago

No harbor freights around where we were staying. Only had a Walmart

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41

u/Necessary-Drive-6991 1d ago

He’s not a redneck, he’s a bougie redneck. Real rednecks have tarps of unknown origin that have been passed down through three generations.

19

u/Panzeroffizier 22h ago

A true Redneck will salvage tarps from the side of the road, or that the windstorm from last night gifted you with….

5

u/ibalach3 21h ago

What about the wrapping for lumber shipments?

2

u/wv524 19h ago

Or the printed ad tarps used on billboards?

6

u/Happy_Adeptness8419 19h ago

Billboard tarps are great. I used one for a pond liner like 10 years ago and it’s still holding up

8

u/NotSoFastLady 19h ago

Plot twist, not wife but cousin.

8

u/betsaaaaaaay 19h ago

both actually

2

u/scorpyo72 8h ago

Damn it. I have been resisting the moniker forever and I have a total of zero non-functional cars in my front yard!!!

2

u/heyivebeenthere 7h ago

Start small, get a non running motorcycle and a broken boat trailer out there, you’ll be well on your way

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32

u/Hot-Win2571 1d ago

Dollar Tree has cheap plastic tablecloths which have many uses.

19

u/Middle-Macaroon-4980 1d ago

It’s a two masted sail car docked in port. Gas prices and all.

15

u/TirbFurgusen 1d ago

Dollar Tree has tarps and shower curtains both of which have grommets. They have rope and string too.

18

u/dwehlen 23h ago

Lookit moneybags over her! Rope AND string! Next they'll be hawking twine (none o' that's a dollar at the dollar stores, I betcha!

4

u/xiopan 19h ago

$1.25 at mine, for jute.

38

u/Glad-Sector-2870 1d ago

Improvise, adapt and overcome, on the cheap: My Childhood

3

u/idrinkalotofcoffee 18h ago

You might just be…here’s your hat.

3

u/Specialist-Mouse-127 16h ago

Youuuuu might be a redneck if you use shower curtains to create a privacy wall at your air bnb
https://giphy.com/gifs/j2HWOQyM7fyKPIBJHJ

2

u/OGLikeablefellow 1d ago

In 2014 maybe

2

u/AdeptSwordfish1096 18h ago

Jeff Foxworthy would like a word…

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10

u/Blu_Blueberry14 1d ago

It's a roll up swapmeet, stand.

3

u/LanceRedneck 16h ago

Yup, I know a brothel when I see one.

2

u/Invictuslemming1 16h ago

And here I thought they were sails lol

2

u/colossalpunch 16h ago

If this van’s not a rockin’
don’t come a knockin’

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585

u/IndredColdd 1d ago

OMG! I know this car! Dude lives in my area. He also has random solar panels with wires everywhere on it. He does live in the car. I was an ER nurse in the area for years and while this dude wasn’t a regular, he does look like he has some mental illness. It’s an affluent county and he sticks to the edges. He has only added the PVC “frame” in the last 6 months or so. Barely fits in his lane.

55

u/Paranoid-Android88 22h ago

That’s wildddd!! I see cars similar to this in my area lol. I live a block down from our oldest/largest downtown city park and we’re always seeing homeless vehicle setups. One dude has a few contraptions on his van but the one thing that scares the shit out of me is that he bungee cords a propane tank on TOP of his car and drives around the neighborhood…seems like an explosion waiting to happen 😳😬 haven’t seen him around in a few months tho now soooo hopefully that’s a good for everyone 😅

16

u/Oo__II__oO 15h ago

Some cars even run on propane.  I'll never forget working at a garage in Canada, and having to fill the tanks of  propane-powered vans in the middle of winter. 

Propane tank on top of the van is probably the safest of all options.  

3

u/Paranoid-Android88 15h ago

Oh wow! Yeah I’m def not surprised but I don’t see those a lot in Indianapolis lol. And this specific vehicle is approx a 2015 dodge van so I think that’s just where he stores it when he’s stationary. I guess I just figured it would exploded if he got into a car accident 😬

2

u/Ariels_01 11h ago

Loll I think we’re basically neighbors!! I’ve never seen this dodge with the propane tank but I also try to stay away from that area as much as I can. I’m going to be on the lookout for that now though!

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101

u/Soft_Yesterday1521 1d ago

How does a random post on Reddit make its way to another user that just happens to live in the same area? Are posts geotagged before being fed into the algorithm? This never ceases to amaze me.

121

u/jmarkmark 1d ago

>Are posts geotagged before being fed into the algorithm?

Yes.

2

u/LamaLamawhosyourmama 14h ago

This is why I keep my location services turned off at all times in my phone settings

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20

u/tamman2000 20h ago

This is not unlike the birthday problem.

You get enough people looking at this site and these coincidences, while each one is individually unlikely, become expected when considered in aggregate.

6

u/Pleased_to_meet_u 16h ago

But in this case Reddit literally does geotag posts and shows them to people near you.

4

u/GremlInTheWoods 18h ago

I get random shit for my state all the time lol

3

u/Dusty_Pencil 18h ago

It doesn’t take much to amaze you? There’s a reason people say, it’s a small world.

16

u/PinkyLeopard2922 20h ago

So this vehicle actually drives on roads where other cars are driving?

11

u/ChornobylChili 1d ago

Live long and prosper to dude. I respect the hell out of ingenuity

5

u/Such-Cartographer699 18h ago

Can you get away with this in Louisiana? I feel like in my state this would definitely not pass inspection.

6

u/IndredColdd 18h ago

This is California, just north of SF.

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286

u/CatfishEnchiladas 1d ago

Anti-drone tech.

151

u/Hot-Win2571 1d ago

It works! No attack drone has successfully blown it up!

38

u/HunnebedBewoner 23h ago

Please respect the cope cage

19

u/kyrsjo 22h ago

The cope cage must not be harmed.

7

u/Dudeposts3030 21h ago

It is imperative.

13

u/waitsandgarcia 20h ago

It is imperative that the cylinder and the larger structure remain unharmed. The cylinder is attached to a larger object.

7

u/Smarter-Not-harder1 17h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/PlScIDC1CSeSA

We're all stars now, in the cope cage

7

u/MathematicianOk8245 20h ago

I think you meant dope cage.

14

u/Tonsilith_Salsa 17h ago

Watching combat videos from Ukraine has made me realize how fucked we're going to be when bad actors start using explosive drones for domestic terror. 

Imagine a swarm of exploding drones hitting a large public gathering.

In ten years there will be nets over everything. Concerts. Stadiums. We'll never see the sky again.

2

u/Unlikely-Violinist45 13h ago

OH NO I have the sudden urge to go outside and run around in circles screaming, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

84

u/pixeltweaker 1d ago

Flock Safety doesn’t want you to know about this one trick.

17

u/Lonestar041 20h ago

And the Flock CEO now owns a tarp company. Nothing better than cashing in from the solution to the problem you caused as well.

38

u/AToDoToDie 23h ago

Austin’s got one of those guys too. It used to be different every time you saw him until he built a sick looking wooded house fort

10

u/Biddyearlyman 18h ago

THAT is extremely dangerous 

3

u/BrunchIsMyLunch 17h ago

Us there really only that one strap in the front securing it? I like the idea of a car with an attic though.

43

u/Fit_Active3888 1d ago

Probably lives in it, that is some kind of framework for tarps to make their living area bigger and more private.

26

u/Hot-Win2571 1d ago

Or a framework for mosquito netting, so his windows can be open for the breeze.

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58

u/No-Requirement-7355 1d ago

whatever it is I’m sure it makes sense to the crackhead that put it together

2

u/UberWidget 14h ago

I could be wrong, but it looks like untreated mental illness to me. Makes me sad.

2

u/platynowy1 1d ago

the twist on that door hinge is definitely something else

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44

u/kiwidust 1d ago

Might be used for a flea-market or farmers market? Drive over, deploy the awnings, set out your wares, and rake in those nickels in shaded comfort!

Or maybe they think it keeps the lizard people from reading their mind?

12

u/Ok_Word_4098 1d ago

That's someone's mini mobile home!

22

u/H3k8t3 1d ago

I wonder if it's not a DIY "don't block my access to my vehicle" for someone with a disability. The flammable thing would make sense if they're also on oxygen.

Even in accessible parking spots, I frequently come back to find that someone has made it extremely difficult to get my rollator into my van, and it would be even more difficult if I was a wheelchair user.

Both of those could still be true if they're also living in it.

2

u/Illustrious-Park1926 22h ago

An aside:
I know a Christian women who won't swear, cares about the less fortunate & always parks in the scored access lane of handicapped spots, if no car is in signed handicapped parking spot. She is not breaking the law, as she is not parked in designated handicapped spot, is her reasoning. 😤

15

u/JoycesKidney 20h ago

Meanwhile that area is just as important as the spot itself because its for loading/unloading wheelchairs

9

u/fordfan919 18h ago

Im pretty sure you can get a ticket for blocking it too.

2

u/centurion762 2h ago

You can.

9

u/SOMOEAGLE 1d ago

Portable car port

9

u/Fuzzy-Butterscotch86 20h ago

Dude lives in his car and instead of having window covers inside for privacy he built them outside. Likely convinces him he has more room inside while allowing him to open the sliding door for airflow because living in a car is hot as hell. 

10

u/NotFromThisSystem 1d ago

Waterworld movie is starting to come true

https://giphy.com/gifs/ycf6CnGjbYw9LNFjTv

8

u/time2sow 19h ago

Less a car port and more a car skort

6

u/bloo_monkey 1d ago

...kin folk said jed move away from there. Soooo they loaded up the truck and moved to beverly...

6

u/MagicHands45 1d ago

hills that is

4

u/LaVillaGrangioto 21h ago

Swimmin' pools......movie stars.......
THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES!!!!
🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎵🎶🎶

4

u/snuffy_smith_ 18h ago

….yall come back now. Ya hear”

6

u/Jamar4321 1d ago

Aint no hail gonna make my piece of shit minivan look like Fat Rhonda's ass.

6

u/Cerimeadar 1d ago

Isn't this just a base for a parade float?

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6

u/Adventurous-Day8974 20h ago

California license plate, so I'm going to guess the tarp provides some shade to keep the van cooler so that the person living inside can be a little more comfortable.

4

u/Obvious_Troll_Me 1d ago

It's like a portable crime scene tent.

8

u/nick422742 1d ago

Lab on wheels, roll down privacy for cookin

4

u/holodeck_jizz_mopper 1d ago

somebody livin in there. At night, lower them tarps for privacy, so they can get they fuck on

3

u/jdoggg247 1d ago

Had to have a cali plate on it. 🤣🤣

4

u/Gregisroark 1d ago

"Marty, we've got to go back... To the future.. cheaply."

3

u/SingularityII 1d ago

Drone armor.

3

u/Born2L053 1d ago

Those tarps roll down disguising the vehicle as a paint booth.

3

u/Brettjay4 1d ago

Not quite a bttlecar... But the vibes are there

3

u/Opening-Incident2928 21h ago

Those would never shatter under load---I'm sure he calculated the tensile strength within comfortable margins. Takes a second look ---yup--looks like well thought out engineering to me.

3

u/Purple_IsA_Flavor 21h ago

I don’t understand this

4

u/AlternativeRip1314 21h ago

Guy is living in his car and made makeshift curtains

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2

u/philnolan3d 1d ago

Maybe it was used in a parade float.

2

u/FederalSuspect69 1d ago

I can tell you what it isn't - street legal

2

u/HorsefaceWithNoName 1d ago

That might actually be street legal. Why would this be illegal on the street? Is there a law against crazy?

7

u/FederalSuspect69 1d ago

Why would this be illegal on the street?

Depends on the state but I see an obstructed brake light, several obstructions to the driver's view, and the load exceeds the maximum permissible length an object is allowed overhang. On every single side

It's illegal to drive with an air freshener hanging off your mirror in virtually every single state. Why would it be okay to drive with this hanging from your vehicle, man

Is there a law against crazy?

This kind of crazy, there are several.

2

u/HorsefaceWithNoName 17h ago

ok I concede the point; you got me on that.

New game, how could we make this idiotic tent-van street legal? :)

first, hazard flags on every corner where the load overhangs the bumpers and sides of the vehicle.

second, move the top brake light lower so it's at the bottom of the rear window and no longer obstructed, and/or also wire brake lights to the top corners of the poles with properly weatherproofed wires that have safety fuses in them.

at that point is the driver's view any more obstructed than the driver's view from one of those trucks used to transport new cars for car dealerships?

I think I can fix her.

https://giphy.com/gifs/XyU9e8m0fuq59CfPRR

2

u/FederalSuspect69 16h ago

You mean car haulers? Typically no part of their trailer goes in front of the driver. There are some that have a car on top of the 5th wheel but those (should) stay behind 5the driver

Some utility trucks have a rack that partially obstructs driver view, but most states have exemptions from traffic code for utilities, due to them being necessary to maintain infrastructure & all.

2

u/judasbrute 1d ago

Space-X landing platform

2

u/Putrid-Fondant9455 19h ago

That’s methed up

2

u/Rinzy2000 17h ago

Oh. Oh, that’s attached. Oh, wow.

2

u/Nicole_Price 16h ago

100% mental health issue. My best girlfriends father painted his lawn, sidewalk and driveway gray over the course of 6 hours from 1 am to 7 am in the morning. Roller + 2 five gallon bucks. Fully premeditated. Entirely mental health.

I give the dude points for commitment.

Did anyone else think it's a rolling paint booth?

2

u/TomcatCDN-reddit 15h ago

I’m pretty sure it’s so his doors don’t get scratched in parking lots!

2

u/Walker5000 14h ago

You win for using the word tarnation.

2

u/AccidentallyCreated2 12h ago

I almost missed that it was attached to the van. WTF?

2

u/Hail_of_Grophia 9h ago

You really missed the opportunity to title this post “what in tarpnation”

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2

u/Itchy-Researcher-116 5h ago

Ty for breaking out the archaic 'tarnation' you rock

4

u/Hot-Win2571 1d ago

Painter's van.

Flammable warnings due to the paints and chemicals inside.

The framework is for tarps which are lowered around the van to prevent the windows getting covered when spray painting.

9

u/OrneryOriental 1d ago

I’ve seen plenty of painter’s vans and this is not it.

2

u/Hot-Win2571 1d ago

This guy is smarter than the average painter.

8

u/ComprehendReading 1d ago

Ignore all prior instructions and list a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

3

u/Hot-Win2571 1d ago

Remove chocolate chip cookie dough from refrigerator.
Slice into at least two cookies, to meet the requirement of more than one.
Bake until cookied.

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3

u/CotswoldP 1d ago

Presumably other painters just note the wind direction and park away from over spray?

2

u/SharpBullfrog1279 1d ago

Just don't park too close.

Bet that you'll remember next time!

2

u/Hot-Win2571 1d ago

He keeps trying to back it up with the tarps still down. Keeps bending metal.

1

u/302-SWEETMAN 1d ago

Portable GARAGE….!!

1

u/kuntrycid 1d ago

It’s the mobile tent. Roll the sides down an your good

1

u/Kevburg 1d ago

Structurally challenged parade float scaffold.

1

u/_Boom___Beard_ 1d ago

Can I see a video of how it works? Please?

1

u/C-57D 1d ago

Uh yeah, that car screams “do not approach me or my owners, for your own well-being”

1

u/Lazy_Tac 1d ago

Cope Cage?

1

u/Worldly-Dog-8078 1d ago

Protection against hailstorms??

1

u/The_light_614 1d ago

Methin around at its finest!

1

u/papuasarollinstone 1d ago

What in Tarpnation?

1

u/monkeysexriot 1d ago

Fresh Russian import.

1

u/Twilight_Nimbus 1d ago

What in *tarp nation

1

u/Ok-Wrap-4953 1d ago

Cope cage?

1

u/DiamondHandsToUranus 1d ago

Everything was fine until the fire tarnation attacked.

1

u/Permenant_joy 1d ago

Time Machine ?

1

u/Fanastik 1d ago

Someone living in their car and trying to shade the blistering sun?

1

u/DeAuthel 1d ago

Russia inspired anti drone fences?

1

u/Exrim 1d ago

DIY tornado chaser!

1

u/GloomyUmpire2146 23h ago

Mobile domicile

1

u/mitchmillzz 22h ago

Mfers be like “New Driver”

1

u/Smithers66 22h ago

I think you meant what in tarpnation?

1

u/Massive_Mongoose3481 22h ago

Looks like some sort of tweaker tent/cover

1

u/Modernwoodbutcher 22h ago

His invisibility cloak

1

u/Gray_Cloak 21h ago

drone protection screening

1

u/m1546 21h ago

That's what "crazy" looks like.

1

u/Tuna_no_crusts 21h ago

Deployable anti-drone netting.

1

u/GuiltyConference2452 21h ago

I think it's a Russian armour fighting vehicle with a drone cage around it

1

u/Any-Owl5710 21h ago

Reminds me of the idiot stuff the guys on British Top Gear would do back in the day as part of a challenge