The 1970s were a time full of malaise, slow cars, and motorcycle jumps. For whatever reason, the decade gave way to more wackos on motorcycles than any other before or since. The best known of this breed was Evel Knievel, but across the country, long before the Internet, local jumping heroes emerged to fill the void of boredom by making haphazard, dangerous, and half-assed attempts to wow smallish local crowds. One of those men was “Jumping” John Holland, and thanks to BangShift.com member BigDad, photos of his most epic fail have come to light. This is one of the few things that can make you burst out laughing and cringe at the same time.
To set the scene, there’s a line of 50 Chevrolet Chevettes. These cars have been loaned to the jump effort by a local Chevrolet dealer out for a publicity grab. When you read about what happens next, you’ll agree with us that the dealer had a couple of drinks in him to agree to this mess.
Holland’s plan was to take his heavy, underpowered motorcycle off the ramp and, using the motorcycle as the launch vehicle, fly through the air by way of a parachute mounted on his back. It should be noted at this point that the motorcycle also had a parachute attached to it, with duct tape.
Holland launched off, got air, had his parachute blossom, and then proceeded to mangle several cars when his plan failed horribly and he became a human cannonball. His body, not the bike, damaged several cars badly. He lived and actually attempted at least one more jump by this method. Shockingly, it also ended badly.
It all sounds so simple in words, but the photos have to be seen to be believed. If this does not personify the 1970s in all it’s glory, we don’t know what does.
Thanks for the tip BigDad!
Scroll down to see the personification of, “If You’re Gonna be Dumb, You’ve Gotta be Tough!”
