QOTD: Going Above and Beyond?

We call upon our vehicles to go the extra mile sometimes; to give us that extra bit of effort to get the job done. And, every now and then, we ask of them too much, as some vehicles just aren’t suited for the task at hand.

Screw it, we’ve thought in the heat and madness of the moment — it’s the only vehicle at hand. Make do with what you’ve got, and all that.

Like the famously lopsided naval battle in the Leyte Gulf that saw a small handful of U.S. destroyers and destroyer escorts successfully fight off a large task force of Japan’s most fearsome warships, our machines’ abilities can sometimes surprise us, even when facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Has your vehicle — or a vehicle in your possession — ever surprised you with its get-it-done spirit?

Clearly, we’re not talking about a vehicle that proved even shittier at handling a task than you’d already assumed. No, this is not a day for zeros. We want to talk heroes.

Plucky hatchbacks that did the impossible, family sedans that put pickups to shame, and pickups that saved the world when others curled up and died. The key thing here is that the vehicle tackled an unlikely mission no normal owner would ask of it — something far removed from the rosy, idyllic images of OEM brochures — and pulled it off, driving away intact but perhaps a little worse for the wear.

While your author has not had the opportunity to recklessly dive into absurd automotive situations on a regular basis, I know all too well what can happen when you ask too much of a vehicle. Like that incident in high school with the snowmobile trail and the Olds 88, or the time I tried to stuff wooden deck furniture into a Prelude. Minor tasks, only partly accomplished. Damage to egos ensued.

Then there was the FWD compact car that defeated a blizzard that left 4×4 pickups struggling and other compacts high-centered, rubber not touching the ground, in 20 inches of freshly fallen snow.

What’s your unlikely tale of cargo hauled, weight towed, water forded, or terrain traversed by a vehicle that should have been out of its depth? Did the experience impart a newfound level of respect and admiration in you, or did it compel you to seek out a new vehicle more suited to the things life throws at you?

[Image: Toyota]