Custom Rock Crawler Explodes Trying What a 2021 Ford Bronco Did in Moab

by Gabrielle DeSantis

A few months ago, a 2021 Ford Bronco made quite the spectacle when it climbed Hell’s Gate in Moab, UT, in reverse. The disrespect for this legendary off-roading site was so immense that it forced the entire motoring world to pay attention. Recently, a custom rock crawler tried to do something similar at the Devil’s Hot Tub. Given the small explosion, it’s fair to say it did not go very well.

The Devil’s hot tub | Beat not Babied

An actual rock crawler couldn’t do what a 2021 Ford Bronco did

The Drive reports that someone tried to back their custom-built rock crawler out of the Devil’s Hot Tub about a week ago. This natural stone bowl is a famous off-roading obstacle in the natural playground that is Moab, UT. 

Despite what seems to be a solid rig, on his third attempt at escaping the Devil’s Hot Tub, the rock crawler bucked its rear end skyward and flipped over, immediately bursting into flames. The video of the incident is bizarre because the truck didn’t seem to flip too dramatically, yet the second it flipped, flames sprung out from every opening like weeds through the splits in concrete. 

Like the kick-ass 2021 Ford Bronco video that reversed up Hell’s Gate, this rock crawler pilot specifically wanted to back out of the infamous rock feature. Like Hell’s Gate, the Devil’s Hot Tub is a fully stone bowl that lies next to a bigger rock formation. After a few tries, the driver gives his rig the beans, accidentally catches a wheel on one of the bigger rocks, and flips the crawler end over end. The second the truck hit, flames erupt like something from a movie.

Thankfully, the driver – and somehow even the truck – came out fairly unscathed. The driver suffered some intense bruising from the safety harness. Although the truck damn-near exploded, the flames were put out quickly enough to not cause much lasting damage. The truck even drove out once it was right-side-up. Thankfully, the owner didn’t have to pay for some of Moab’s trusty off-road recovery crews.

Always carry a fire extinguisher

a rock-crawling buggy flipped and caught fire at the Devil's hot tub in Moab after to trying to navigate it backward.
Burning rock crawler | Beat not Babied

The video was originally posted on a Facebook group called Beat Not Babied. One commenter who was actually there when the crash happened provided a little more much-needed context. The commenter, Rory Irish, was not only there but was one of the first on the scene and grabbed the fire extinguisher needed to quell the flames. 

Like the kick-ass 2021 Ford Bronco video that reversed up Hell’s Gate, this rock crawler pilot specifically wanted to back out of the infamous rock feature. Like Hell’s Gate, the Devil’s Hot Tub is a fully stone bowl that lies next to a bigger rock formation. After a few tries, the driver gives his rig the beans, accidentally catches a wheel on one of the bigger rocks, and flips the crawler end over end. The second the truck hit, flames erupt like something from a movie. 

In a conversation with The Drive, Irish says that the vent tube for the fuel cell was routed up out of the tank and then back down under the passenger’s seat, which is the same place where the battery was bolted down. 

“The impact was so hard it caved the top of the fuel cell up, pushing fuel and vapors out of the vent tube,” Irish told The Drive. “It also bent the battery hold-down bracket just enough to cause the battery to shift and arc out on the mount.” 

The Devil’s Hot Tub got pretty hot

According to Irish, “…everyone on Facebook and Instagram saying it was improperly installed equipment or shoddy work. I call bullshit,” he told us. “The fuel cell was a name brand and mounted correctly; the battery mount was a name brand and mounted correctly.” 

This seems like a pretty clear-cut example of a freak accident. If the parts were quality and installed properly, then the fire was unavoidable. However, the 2021 Ford Bronco never even had a chance to see if it would explode. It skated up Hell’s Gate in reverse like it was going into town for a coffee. 

RELATED: The 2021 Ford Bronco Tried Moab Rock Crawling

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A 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler Delivers Visceral Vintage Delights

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Several notable automakers have gotten into making brand-new continuations of their famous classic models. But that’s not quite what British company Morgan does. Although it’s modernized a bit over the years, Morgan’s production process wouldn’t look unfamiliar to someone from pre-war times. As a result, its vehicles are largely still built like and feel like classic cars. And the Morgan 3-Wheeler, like the 2012 model I recently rode in, is arguably the best example of this.

The 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler resurrected the British automaker’s first ‘car’

2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler side low | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

Technically, the Morgan 3-Wheeler isn’t a car. Depending on where you live, it’s classified either as a motorcycle or an autocycle, similar to the Polaris Slingshot. But while it looks novel compared to a conventional car, the 3-Wheeler’s design dates back to over a century ago. Company founder HFS Morgan needed something affordable to drive that wasn’t as dangerous as a motorcycle. So, he mounted a bike engine to a three-wheeled chassis to make a ‘runabout.’ And when enough people asked for a copy, the Morgan Motor Company was born in 1911.

Then, in 2009, Morgan got wind of an American industrial designer, Pete Larsen, making his own interpretation of a 3-Wheeler. But rather than issuing a cease-and-desist, the company bought the rights to the design, Road & Track explains. And after refining Larsen’s concept, Morgan re-introduced the 3-Wheeler to its lineup in 2012.

The front view of a 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler in a car-filled garage
2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler front low | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

Since 2012, the Morgan 3-Wheeler has been updated. In 2014 Morgan strengthened the chassis, tweaked the suspension and steering, and improved the center drive unit. And later examples offered optional extras like power outlets and heated seats. But mechanically, a 2012 3-Wheeler is essentially the same as a 2021 model.

Spec 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler
Engine 2.0-liter S&S V-twin
Power 82 bhp
Torque 103 lb-ft
Transmission Five-speed manual
Drive type Rear-wheel drive with belt drive
Curb weight 1268 lb (Car and Driver)
0-60 mph time 6.9 seconds (Car and Driver)

While later Morgan 3-Wheelers have a few more features, they’re all fairly spartan. The cockpit has some gauges, milled aluminum switches, and a push-button start. Your only safety features are the seatbelts and there’s little usable storage space. And not only does the 2012 3-Wheeler lack ABS, but the rear wheel has a drum brake.

It’s old-school in the most delightful way

The black-leather-upholstered cockpit of a silver 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler in a garage
2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler cockpit | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

There’s something else the 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler lacks—adjustable seats. Getting comfortable behind the wheel means adjusting the pedal box instead. And as Chicagoland Morgan dealer Northshore Sportscars explained to me, that can take up to 1.5 hours. So, one of the dealer’s mechanics drove while I sat in the passenger seat.

Getting into a Morgan 3-Wheeler is a simple but involved process. You hold the metal roll hoop and step into the footwell, avoiding the potentially hot exhaust pipe. Then, you slide down into the seat while extending your legs.

Once you’re sitting down, rubbing shoulders with the driver is inevitable, as is leaning your arm on the sill. That’s why those leather pads are there. And the dashboard is surprisingly high. But it, as well as the twin windscreens, flipping push-button-start lid, and switch and gauge designs explain the aircraft allusions people make about the 3-Wheeler. And the riding experience solidifies them.

R&T says that driving a Morgan 3-Wheeler is “like flying on the ground.” A minute into my ride, I was in complete agreement. Those windscreens may as well not be there for how much wind makes it into your hair and eyes. But it’s not annoying—it’s thrilling. Even more than in the Slingshot, you feel exposed and open to every part of nature. It makes 30 mph feel like 60 mph.

And not having doors, windows, or a roof means that V-twin sound echoes into your ears unfiltered. While S&S has made Harley-Davidson engines, the 2012 3-Wheeler doesn’t sound like a Harley. Instead, those twin pipes blare a rich and mellow roar with a ripping undercurrent. It doesn’t sound like a modern car; it sounds like a vintage film brought to life.

 “It’ll make you giggle standing still, then fully blown belly-laugh once you’re moving.”

Top gear

Despite its minimalist design, the 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler rides surprisingly well. And it has little-to-no body roll, R&T notes. Plus, coaxing it into a controlled slide is perfectly possible at road-legal speeds.

There are undoubtedly sharper, more practical sports cars than the 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler. But few can turn “an ordinary road drive—at sane road speeds—into something involving, memorable, and exhilarating” like it, MotorTrend says. It’s anachronistic in the best way possible.

Can you still buy a Morgan 3-Wheeler?

An overhead rear view of a silver 2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler in a garage
2012 Morgan 3-Wheeler rear overhead | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

That anachronism, though, also explains why the current Morgan 3-Wheeler is leaving production. After this year, the V-twin’s emissions certification expires, so the 3-Wheeler has to go. And while Morgan has started testing a next-gen model, it won’t have that exposed V-twin, Autocar reports.

If you do find a new 3-Wheeler squirreled away at a dealer, prices start at roughly $59K. As for the 2012 model I rode in, Northshore Sportscars currently has it listed at $44,995. That’s a fairly average price for a used 3-Wheeler. And the dealer notes that the 2014-model-year upgrades can be retro-fitted to earlier models.

$45K is rather expensive for what amounts to a toy, to be fair. But there’s another way to think about it. A restomodded classic car can easily cost $100,000 or more. A used 3-Wheeler offers the same vintage behavior at a fraction of the price. And there’s nothing else quite like it on the road today.

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RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About the Morgan Aero 8

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Meet Bryan Nesbitt: The Man Behind the Chrysler PT Cruiser

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Love it or hate it, many people working for Chrysler poured their soul into the creation of the PT Cruiser. It was a strange era of automotive design, taking “cues” from the past and translating them to modern vehicles. The PT Cruiser is just one vehicle that came out of this time period, a period helmed by automotive designer Bryan Nesbitt.

Bryan Nesbitt and PT Cruiser | James Leynse/National Motor via Getty Images

Who is Bryan Nesbitt?

Born on January 24th, 1969, Bryan Nesbitt was one of the youngest designers GM ever hired. He started his career in 1994, after graduating from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California with a Transportation Design degree, making him just 25 years old at the time.

Two years later, in 1996, Bryan was offered the role of executive designer for the Chrysler PT Cruiser. The Cruiser is certainly his most famous work, for better or worse. But he was also responsible for the similarly styled Chevy HHR and more recent Malibu, two other nostalgia-based automobiles in GM’s lineup.

Though his repetition doesn’t end there. We’ll spitball the other automobiles he played a hand in, which include the Pontiac Solstice, Pontiac G6 coupe, Cadillac DTS and BLS, the Buick Lucerne, Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Aura and Sky, the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and the Buick Enclave. An extensive list of automobiles, some of which are still in production today (and others that are defunct).

But so many people hate the PT Cruiser from a design standpoint alone, which sticks out among the cars of today. So that begs the question: what was GM thinking?

Bryan’s design philosophy for the PT Cruiser

Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chrysler PT Cruiser | Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

For starters, let’s understand that the PT Cruiser was an appropriate car for the time. People were clamoring over nostalgia and the Cruiser filled that market well. But not only that, the Cruiser was incredibly practical and remarkably cheap. A vehicle for people who always complain about how cars “used to cost only X dollars back in the day.”

Bryan described the Cruiser as “a celebration of automotive heritage coupled with innovation, efficiency and a twist of rebellion,” in a GM press release. While the efficiency note is debatable, as it only gets about 24 mpg combined, the design cues are there. Heavily inspired by liftbacks of the 30s, it has a sort of hot rod posture and flare to it. Keyword: sort of.

But that nostalgia sold. Critics raved about the PT Cruiser when its concept was revealed in 1997. And in 2001, the PT Cruiser won the MotorTrend Car of the Year award. So even if it’s aged more like cheese than wine, there’s no denying that Bryan won big with the PT Cruiser.

Where is Bryan today?

Bryan Nesbitt standing in front of Chevy Malibu
Bryan Nesbitt | Emile Wamsteker for Chevrolet

That extensive history with GM has clearly paid off. He’s since worked his way up to executive director of global advanced design and global architecture studios. Now based in Shanghai China, Nesbitt doesn’t dabble in design but does manage the GM Advanced Design Center campus. And funnily enough, this design school is located in Pasadena, California, where Nesbitt got his start.

Bryan now pays it forward to the designers of tomorrow, with The Detroit News reporting a $71 million investment to enlarge the campus. So, love it or hate it, the PT Cruiser gave Nesbitt the credit he needed to support the future of automotive design today.

RELATED: The Most Common PT Cruiser Problems Owners Complain About

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The 2022 Subaru BRZ Is Cheaper and More Powerful Than Its Predecessor

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Affordable sports cars are great options for folks who need speed, but not necessarily the bank account for a Ferrari. In that market, the Subaru BRZ is a capable and affordable sports car option. Plus, the BRZ got a redesign recently. The 2022 Subaru BRZ is cheaper and more powerful than the old version.

The second generation of the Subaru BRZ

2022 Subaru BRZ | Subaru of America, Inc.

Unlike many other cars, the BRZ was developed jointly with Toyota. As such, Toyota has its own version of the BRZ, the Toyota 86. They are very similar in most ways. The first generation of the BRZ was introduced in the 2012 model year, and after 10 years, Subaru and Toyota finally gave it a redesign. While some things stayed about the same, many things were changed. 

Some of the more impactful changes happened with the BRZ’s price tag and performance figures. The 2022 BRZ is cheaper and more powerful than before, but those aren’t the only big upgrades. Here’s a look at how exactly the new BRZ is different from the old one.

A comparison between the new and the old Subaru BRZ 

The 2020 BRZ was the last model year of the first generation, and it was showing its age. It had a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and it got 205 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque. It was designed as an affordable sports car in mind, so while it costs just under $30,000, it didn’t have that many features in the interior. But it did handle well. While its interior was sparse, it was exactly what Subaru and Toyota said it’d be, an affordable sports car.

The 2022 BRZ has big improvements almost everywhere, including the interior. As MotorTrend wrote, the redesigned BRZ has a 2.4-liter H4 engine. This new engine gets 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, which is 23 hp and 28 lb-ft of torque more than before. MotorTrend said that the new BRZ has a stiffer chassis, as well as a redesigned suspension. 

While the standard BRZ is still sparse on features, the Limited trim will now include a few standard smart safety features. It’ll have access to things like blind-spot notification, lane-keep assist, and more, according to MotorTrend. Furthermore, since the old BRZ’s starting trim was the Limited trim, it was actually more expensive than the new BRZ’s starting trim, which is the Premium trim. The 2022 BRZ will cost about $29,000, according to MotorTrend.

How the BRZ compares

The new BRZ should be available in the U.S. in fall 2021 and should be very competitive. The BRZ is one of a few cars that come with rear-wheel drive. That’s a feature that sports car enthusiasts will enjoy. But, the new BRZ has plenty of competition, especially given that it’s not a very powerful car.

The popular and well-known Ford Mustang costs a bit less and is significantly more powerful. At a starting price tag of $27,000, the regular Mustang gets over 300 hp. However, the Mustang may not be for everyone, as horsepower isn’t the only thing people care about.

The Mazda Miata is also a good option, and it’s slightly more affordable than the Mustang. Like the BRZ, the Miata’s not the fastest car on the road. However, since it’s a convertible, the Miata can be the coolest car on the road.

RELATED: Buying a Used Mazda MX-5 Miata: What You Should Know 

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