Bumper jumping

More than any car in the history of automobiles, this was the people's car, built, astoundingly, from 1938 until 2003.
Mystic Silver
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:05 pm

Bumper jumping

Post by Mystic Silver »

This is strictly anecdotal. Bumper jumping (in my youth) had two meanings. One was sneaking up behind a stopped car on a snowy road, crouching down and grabbing the bumper with your fingers in order to get a tow along the road (sliding on your feet). Any vehicle with a good grapple bumper would do.

The second meaning is pretty much exclusive to the Beetle, (or Bug). One needs two people at a minimum and it was the preferred method for getting up a snowy or icy hill when the traction was not quite enough. The passenger would get out, hop onto the back bumper and bounce up and down adding weight and therefore traction to the back wheels allowing the Beetle to lurch up the hill.

Anyone else done this?

;)
LudwigVan
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 8:26 pm

Re: Bumper jumping

Post by LudwigVan »

We used to get the free tow in Buffalo NY in the 60s
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