Home » A Big Specialized Vehicle Maker Loaned Me A Vehicle For A Really Long Time And I Can’t Really Review It For A Very Silly Reason

A Big Specialized Vehicle Maker Loaned Me A Vehicle For A Really Long Time And I Can’t Really Review It For A Very Silly Reason

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05LGT
Member
05LGT
3 months ago

A story about being shaved by an early sub launched ICBM?!?

Beer-light Guidance
Member
Beer-light Guidance
3 months ago

Based on the middle picture I am very confident that is a Taito Squid. Blasted enough of ’em back in the late ’70’s that I would recognize them anywhere.

Stef Schrader
Member
Stef Schrader
3 months ago

well, that doesn’t r0xorz my b0xorz

Ben Eldeson
Ben Eldeson
3 months ago

Was it an OshKosh vehicle?

Sid Bridge
Member
Sid Bridge
3 months ago

When I get a weird request from a Journalist, I do go out of my way trying to see if legal will clear it in some way as long as it’s positive. Hopefully this team did try to push past their lawyers a “let him publish the story with a clear disclaimer” approach, but some legal departments are less forgiving than others.

Urban Runabout
Member
Urban Runabout
3 months ago

When are you getting a Vanderhall to review?

Mercedes Streeter
Mercedes Streeter
3 months ago
Reply to  Urban Runabout

Oh! That’s a good idea!

Cars? I've owned a few
Member
Cars? I've owned a few
3 months ago

Probably late to the party… I’m going to guess this is some sort of side by side vehicle, probably from Canada, probably by a company the commercial name of which starts with P, since Mercedes has ridden a couple of things they make as well.

Anyway. Have fun!

Checkyourbeesfordrinks
Member
Checkyourbeesfordrinks
3 months ago

If you’re referring to Polaris, they are actually an American company (Minnesota, which is almost Canada but not quite).

Cars? I've owned a few
Member
Cars? I've owned a few
3 months ago

I was hinting at that and today (through you) I learned they are based in MN. So that’s cool! Thank you for that. (Jason is still being non-enlightening on the topic, so let’s just move on…)

And your username is so funny! 12 years ago, sitting outside of a bar in Brussels, a bee ended up in my beer. I got a spoon from inside and lifted it out of my beer. It stumbled around on the table for about 15 minutes and then flew off. And I chuckled about all the hivemates going “where the fuck have you been?”

Birk
Member
Birk
3 months ago

Literally dozens of these running around my community (UT) being used for everything except dirt all but a few times a year. I guess maybe a byproduct of the trucks getting hugified & harder to daily? Easy close access to a lot of BLM & National Forest gravel roads & trails. I’d prefer they stay in & around town.

Roofless
Member
Roofless
3 months ago

I worked at a tech company many years ago – we’d get free stuff and movie screenings, because we tended to be active on the site we ran and it was a good way for companies to get cheap publicity. One time, we get an invite for a movie screening for our company, but I guess legal wasn’t in the loop or disagreed with marketing or something, because we show up for this screening and they confiscate our phones, and before the movie starts some security dude reads us the riot act about how this movie is a pre-release and if we say anything at all about it online they’ll burn down our granaries or something – so, the studio is now paying to buy out a theater for a movie screening for 200 nerds whose only corporate value is that they’re maybe a bit too online, except they’re now under strict orders to not market the film at all.

Whenever someone sings the praises of corporate efficiency, that story pops to mind.

Ben Eldeson
Ben Eldeson
3 months ago
Reply to  Roofless

I was once invited to the GM design studios in Detroit to see the pre-production Volt back in 2009. They took all of our phones and cameras. We saw stuff that was not yet in production but would be.

Totally not a robot
Member
Totally not a robot
3 months ago

Hm. The pixelated top shot had me thinking this was a forbidden Japanese vehicle.

Kurt B
Member
Kurt B
3 months ago

Behold, the Uwu Motors Tentaculon

Jkiigdsrgbnmmfdf
Jkiigdsrgbnmmfdf
3 months ago
Reply to  Kurt B

Pixelated because, oh you know why.

Every Rose has its thorn
Member
Every Rose has its thorn
3 months ago

I ran into something similar once while reviewing cameras.

There’s a pretty niche waterproof camera manufacturer called SeaLife, and they make this camera called a DC2000, ostensibly for divers to use while, you know, diving. As such, it happens to be waterproof, crushproof, fit into a pocket and have a good image sensor in it (much larger than a GoPro or similar). In other words, it seemed like it would make a great sort of everyday-carry camera for photographers that wanted something tough and portable, but a step up in quality from their phones.

Anyway, I told the company all of this, told them that I wasn’t a diver, and they sent me the camera anyway. I wrote and then published my article about how I used it as an everyday camera, and only then did they send me an email asking if I had any plans to use it while diving, for its *intended use case*. I guess maybe someone decided that whoever shipped it off to me had made a mistake.

Anywho, I get it, and it’s totally within their rights when they’re loaning you something for free. I do think it’s a touch ironic that the audience that I wrote my article for (everyday hobbyist photographers) is enormous compared to the audience they have decided upon for their product (scuba-certified divers that are also photographers), and I imagine this would be similar for Jason in his situation.

5VZ-F'Ever and Ever, Amen
Member
5VZ-F'Ever and Ever, Amen
3 months ago

I have a solution! Find a roadkill deer and strap it to the hood. Park it in your yard, put on some camo and take pics. Make sure they are from an angle that doesn’t show the 2CV. Write about what a bad ass macho hunting vehicle it is.

StillNotATony
Member
StillNotATony
3 months ago

Jump it over your RV, Torch.

Don’t think. Just do it.

El Jefe de Barbacoa
Member
El Jefe de Barbacoa
3 months ago
Reply to  StillNotATony

Evil Knievel just twitched in his grave.

Mercedes Streeter
Mercedes Streeter
3 months ago

[AAMVA Disliked That.]

Stef Schrader
Member
Stef Schrader
3 months ago

GOOD. WE DISLIKE THEM.

Highland Green Miata
Member
Highland Green Miata
3 months ago

In places where there is debate and discussion (and often, voting) about allowing ATVs to use roads as if they were regular vehicles, things can get very heated. I can see why they don’t want to make it look like they are advocating a position.

Last edited 3 months ago by Highland Green Miata
1978fiatspyderfan
1978fiatspyderfan
3 months ago

Okay they don’t want anything to be released why exactly are they providing them for test drives if they don’t allow any real review? Seems not only stupid but dangerous. Any bad news on the new vehicle to complete against a Jeep, I’m guessing a Off-road Super Bronco based on the pictures because the color scheme but no good reviews because you can’t.

Gurpgork
Gurpgork
3 months ago

Jason finally got the belly scraper of his dream.

Strangek
Member
Strangek
3 months ago

I commute in a crane everyday, what’s the problem? After going down the sovereign citizen rabbit hole (thanks for that), I’ve realized that I can just do whatever I want.

FormerTXJeepGuy
Member
FormerTXJeepGuy
3 months ago

They’re afraid of getting sued by Jeep again.

Hautewheels
Member
Hautewheels
3 months ago

How silly! I can’t believe a company like Ma****ra is being such a stickler about the rules. I think I know what the vehicle might be, but I’ll spell it backwards to protect its identity: roxoR.

Mr E
Member
Mr E
3 months ago

Wait, do you still have that vehicle in your possession after all this time?

Regardless, this all seems like complete absence of forethought on behalf of the company. Could they not have had you review the thing in a more appropriate location? The mountains are literally a couple hours west of you.

Abdominal Snoman
Member
Abdominal Snoman
3 months ago

LOL. While bored, on a whim I asked AI to de-blur the last image and guess what side by side this is, and it came up with this: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EL21-171.jpg

Last edited 3 months ago by Abdominal Snoman
Spikersaurusrex
Member
Spikersaurusrex
3 months ago

Yep, AI is going to take all the jobs.

Matt Hardigree
Admin
Matt Hardigree
3 months ago

Damn, don’t tell anyone. Please delete this before we get in trouble.

LTDScott
Member
LTDScott
3 months ago
Reply to  Matt Hardigree

Since you’re here, I’m guessing any hyperlink ending in .jpg will try to display the image here natively rather than direct you to the URL?

Wikipedia images are wonky since the URL ends in .jpg but it’s not just an image, so it shows as a broken image natively here. Of course I just opened it in a new tab.

Abdominal Snoman
Member
Abdominal Snoman
3 months ago
Reply to  LTDScott

oops, here’s the correct-er link (hopefully): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/EL21-171.jpg

LTDScott
Member
LTDScott
3 months ago

That worked! Still, it seems to be a quirk of Wikipedia.

LTDScott
Member
LTDScott
3 months ago

We know that can’t be true because it would be a Mercedes Streeter article instead.

Mercedes Streeter
Mercedes Streeter
3 months ago
Reply to  LTDScott

If only I could convince a locomotive manufacturer to let me test a unit!

1978fiatspyderfan
1978fiatspyderfan
3 months ago

Yes that link doesn’t do anything but toss you out

Birk
Member
Birk
3 months ago

I’m only getting Rick-Rolled once today!

Camp Fire
Member
Camp Fire
3 months ago

Given this new information, I completely understand why the manufacturer doesn’t want pictures of that vehicle heading down public roads.

Spikersaurusrex
Member
Spikersaurusrex
3 months ago

Ram wouldn’t loan you a tow vehicle so you could take this to an offroad location review their HD offerings?

Tom Gordon
Member
Tom Gordon
3 months ago

Tell Polaris to chill out

Nlpnt
Member
Nlpnt
3 months ago
Reply to  Tom Gordon

I’m pretty sure I remember Jason asking for ideas what to do with it. Over a year ago!

PresterJohn
Member
PresterJohn
3 months ago
Reply to  Nlpnt

Yeah it’s funny the lengths Torch went to in “concealing” that it’s Polaris when the “what should I do with it” article is trivially available

Dumbo
Dumbo
3 months ago
Reply to  Nlpnt

Was a member, but not anymore. Like the pop up ads. But, I remember driving north on s Columbia street and watching this being unloaded in the bus lane and thinking it must be for Mr Torch. Question, are you a mechanic here in Chapel Hill? (trying to find someone not chapel hill tire)

Nlpnt
Member
Nlpnt
3 months ago
Reply to  Dumbo

Nope, I’m in Burlington.

Vermont.

Dumbo
Dumbo
3 months ago
Reply to  Nlpnt

Bummer. Nice area, though. My wife’s Uncle had a nice cabin on South Hero Island. Remined me of a LL Bean catalog.

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
Member
Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
3 months ago

I like to think that you were given the Tumbler Batmobile and Batman just wanted your personal opinion

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