There are vehicles you don’t expect to see off-roading at Moab, and it’s safe to say a 1958 Plymouth Savoy with dual-wheel rear axle and lifted suspension is on that list. If that’s not enough, this video also extensively showcases a similarly rugged SN95-era, 1990s Ford Mustang.
Both of these rigs excel off-road. They’re traveling with a Ford Bronco club. The Plymouth and Mustang don’t seem to have any problem keeping up with the modern SUVs that have engineering for terrain exactly like this.
The video’s perspective is primarily out of the Savoy’s driver-side window. This provides a great view of how the Mustang tackles the obstacles. Other than the expected tire spinning, it puts on an impressive performance. At one point, the Plymouth needs to give the Ford a nudge because the high angles prevent the fuel in the tank from getting to the pump.
The guys are on this trip for a good cause. After having fun on the trails, they stop to help clean the environment. In addition to the expected litter, there’s lots of metal that presumably come from pieces falling off vehicles as they crash around the rocks. They even find a refrigerator, which is bizarre to see so far out in the wilderness.
The end of the clip showcases a pair of Ford Crown Victorias with modifications for off-roading. They go by the name Sex Panthers as a double entendre to the movie Anchorman, and these models ride on the Panther platform.
The video above tells the fascinating story about this Plymouth. The owner got it as payment for helping to clean up a small junkyard. The family that owned the place created the custom dually setup. The fender flares came from cutting up a 55-gallon drum. The suspension included the factory leaf springs, coil springs on the axle, and air shocks. There was also a second transmission behind the standard push-button unit. This allowed for incredibly short gearing for pushing stuff around.
The new owner couldn’t simply restore the Savoy to its original setup because the modifications were so cool. Under the hood, there’s now a 12-valve Cummins diesel engine with an exhaust that exits vertically out of the hood.
The Instagram post below shows even more of this extraordinary build.
