This is GLORIOUS! You are about to watch a video depicting some of the hill climb exploits that Bob Chandler and Bigfoot1 engaged in during the 1970s and 80s. From the famed Big Eliminator at Gravelrama to a bunch of places we have never seen in the woods, this is the sound of 640ci of blown Alan Root Ford Hemi going berserker and Bob Chandler handling his business. These videos put Bigfoot 1 into context for its time and era. There was nothing else like it, until there was, but for several years, the truck was a living mythological creature known to kids and gear heads around the country alike.
Chandler seems to have loved hill-climbing more than he loved crushing cars and Bigfoot 1 held a primary job as a hill climber, puller, and exhibition truck long after all the other examples were crushing cars and racing.
The neatest part of this video is, well, all of it but our favorite stuff comes near the end when we see the truck attempting and repeatedly failing to conquer the Big Eliminator at Gravelrama. This was a years long quest for Chandler and we see not only his struggles but the triumphant run that literally put him over the top from multiple angles. The roar from the crowd is awesome and it proves that everyone was basically willing the big old Ford up that pea gravel.
What’s super bad ass is the earlier Big Eliminator footage showing the truck running at night with the headlights on. Race officials would not let the truck run during the competition because its size frightened them with the reasoning that he’s tear the course to shreds for the people actually racing during the day. Once the event was over, they let him have his shots at the hill. Incredibly dangerous and nearly carnage-filled, the attempts are really something to watch.
