Tailgate Mural Fails To Spare This Expedition From Crusher's Jaws

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

You see a fair amount of customization among the inmates of a high-turnover, self-service wrecking yard; sometimes it’s a full-on time-capsule RX-7 and sometimes it’s the kind of thing Manny, Moe, and Jack would build after a week-long ether-and-DMT binge. Here’s a fairly well-executed, if puzzling, airbrush mural I spotted at a Denver yard a few months back.

Even with the swastika vandalization— which may have hastened the depreciation of this truck’s value and helped lead to its junkyardization— you can make out some weird details on the subject’s face. There’s a certain air of Juggaloism in the semi-clownlike makeup, but what does the “Under Oath” caption mean?

If only junkyard vehicles could talk!



Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • CamryStang CamryStang on May 17, 2013

    Car murals aren't really my scene, but whoever did this one put a lot of time, effort and talent into that. Kinda surprised the 'gate was still there. Garage art, anyone?

  • Increased Increased on Jun 17, 2013

    Underoath were a Christian Metalcore band. Although I'm not sure if that's what the presumably Mexico-affiliated owner of this vehicle had in mind when he put that on...

  • Brian Uchida Laguna Seca, corkscrew, (drying track off in rental car prior to Superbike test session), at speed - turn 9 big Willow Springs racing a motorcycle,- at greater speed (but riding shotgun) - The Carrousel at Sears Point in a 1981 PA9 Osella 2 litre FIA racer with Eddie Lawson at the wheel! (apologies for not being brief!)
  • Mister It wasn't helped any by the horrible fuel economy for what it was... something like 22mpg city, iirc.
  • Lorenzo I shop for all-season tires that have good wet and dry pavement grip and use them year-round. Nothing works on black ice, and I stopped driving in snow long ago - I'll wait until the streets and highways are plowed, when all-seasons are good enough. After all, I don't live in Canada or deep in the snow zone.
  • FormerFF I’m in Atlanta. The summers go on in April and come off in October. I have a Cayman that stays on summer tires year round and gets driven on winter days when the temperature gets above 45 F and it’s dry, which is usually at least once a week.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X I've never driven anything that would justify having summer tires.
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