Recently one of Ford’s prototype SuperDuty trucks exploded during testing in the desert. It was a spectacle to say the least. The Ford engineers in the vehicle escaped safely. The fire started near the front drivers side tire and within 3 minutes completely engulfed the engine bay and cab.
What is most interesting about the fire was the remains or lack there of. Almost every lb of material incinerated during the blaze which tells us that the new trucks are using much more aluminum and composites. As the old adage goes “They don’t make them like they used to.” Update 8/26/2014: It looks like the remains shown below was after the frame was towed off. From the looks of it, the SuperDuty BBQ was more exciting than most 4th of July fireworks shows. Too bad there was not a video of the carnage. Update: Video has been posted below.
Image Credit: Chris Doane Automotive
The attached photo of the incinerated truck is misleading in that when compared to the editorial comment that not much remains of the new model with much more aluminum and composites, it is apparent that some removal of the remains has already occurred. I can see signs of a front end loader having been used to scoop up debris. The remaining pile of debris has been moved from the initial site seen in the background and ground scrapes are apparent. I’m sure the original pile of debris was much larger!
Thank you for your comments. I have updated the post to be more accurate. It is too bad the photographer skipped a few of the time frames of the fire.
“we can’t make them like they used to”,,,,,,,,rasta