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A recent Reddit r/HondaOdyssey forum discussion shows that nothing says goodbye like driving an old car off a cliff in what turns out to be a thing and an event in Alaska since 2005.
The Inner Wild Child and Cars
There is something about mayhem and cars that clicks something in our collective psyche.
For example, when I was a kid, Demolition derbies were a very popular weekend event that none of us would have said “No” to if we were fortunate enough to have a parent willing to fork over $5 for a ticket.
Yeah, I’m that old.
I also remember receiving a “Smash Em, Crash Em” style “Smash-Up Derby” set for Christmas that provided nearly endless hours of anticipation waiting for the electric cars on a figure eight racetrack to collide, spewing specially constructed fenders, bumpers, and whatnot that you could reassemble and go at it again.
And, who doesn’t slow down to rubberneck a traffic accident?! Honestly!
You can get all of that in one at a Glacier View Car Launch event held every July in Alaska for some reasonably unreasonable entertainment.
Or is it?
Sending Cars FULL Throttle Over 300-Foot Cliff
A 1320video YouTube channel pretty much says it all with this video description of this past July’s car launch event by stating:
“We’re back in Alaska for one of the wildest events on the planet – the Glacier View Car Launch. Every 4th of July, a group of absolute madmen send junk cars flying off a 300-foot cliff just for the thrill… and we’re here to catch every single launch. This year, 38 cars took flight, launching into the valley below in a glorious mix of steel, smoke, and pure chaos. The rules? Pretty simple: no brakes, no fear, and full speed.”
The Alaska Car Launch is an annual, unofficial spectacle held in Glacier View, Alaska, each July 4th, where old or decommissioned vehicles are launched off a 300‑foot cliff using simple rigs (e.g. jammed accelerator pedals and straightened steering) as spectators line up to watch dozens of cars and trucks soar through the air into the valley below, often landing in a pond that doubles as a safety buffer zone between the crash site and a river for collecting exploding car debris that is disposed of afterward.
Recently, the OP on the r/HondaOdyssey forum shared his story of what he did with his old car that was on its last legs.
“I spent my Fourth of July in Alaska for the annual Glacier View Car Launch. Drove 3800 miles from Indianapolis, Indiana with all my best friends for the adventure of a lifetime. Sadly, my PartyVan had been totaled for mostly cosmetic damage earlier this year, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting send-off to a great van. As you can see, the van held up admirably to a 350-foot tumble down a cliff. I am now the proud owner of a 2022 Odyssey aptly named PartyVan2.0!”
But why?!
It was totaled, high miles, lots of maintenance needed.” ―OP IndyDan
Related article: What to Do with a Used Car That Needs to Go
A few thread comments expressed some disbelief over his decision to discard his still-useful vehicle.
Related article: A Car Like This, However, Even If It Lasts 2-3 Years It Will Save You Tons of Money —Turning a $400 Junkyard Car into a Daily Driver
However, two commenters shared how, in a way, this can make sense after a vehicle is deemed “totaled” by their insurance provider and even adds some money to the fun of saying your final goodbye to a vehicle that has served you well over the years.
They totaled my 2016 for hail damage about 3 months ago. I’m still driving it. They paid me 10k. I had to buy it back for 3. I pocketed the 7.” ―myburneraccount151
The insurance will appraise its market value to pay the insured for the car being a total loss. When they determine it is a total loss, they essentially are taking ownership of the vehicle once they pay you for it.
What the insurance does, in most cases, is send it to an auction as it might still be salvageable. The “buy back” amount is how much they expected to make off the vehicle at auction. Some might just outright sell it to the auction, and that is the amount the insurance company would have gotten from them. ―Beautiful-Elk-8289
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Here’s a GoPro video of the OP’s Honda crash.
Thread Comments Address a Problem with This Practice
While some thread comments focused on the cool factor of what the OP did, others were not so warm to the practice that has become an event in Alaska, which is known for its pristine outdoors.
Something uniquely American about destroying a car that is still capable of taking a 4000-mile road trip.” ―SeriousMongoose2290
Such a waste of resources. I guess it’s good we live in such a privileged society that we can destroy everything and anything of value in order to hoot and holler.” ―Lovefoolofthecentury
Not my thing, very wasteful. You see families on this forum trying to work out how to buy one, meanwhile this guy is destroying his. I’d have just given it away to some family who needs it tbh. ―Eric_Finch
The posts, however, also beg the question of whether this practice is wrong.
Sure, it’s done on private property with signed documents, fees paid, and a requisite cleanup afterward, but does it not violate some concerns of environmental responsibility, too?
Forum thread commenter CrocodileFish makes the following very good points:
“Don’t love it, but I can tell you went to great lengths for this and respect your joy.
Just wish people wouldn’t do s**t like this out in nature. Blame the property owner for allowing it more than anything. They could do it anywhere, but choose a beautiful natural spot like that to wreck s**t.
Beautiful lake in the background, and who knows how much pollution from fluid leakage (you said they pick everything up after, unless they’re removing the dirt itself, it is in fact polluted as f**k).
It doesn’t take much either. Knew of a guy who kept finding dead animals in the woods (deer, raccoon, etc.), turns out the water was poisoned because the neighbor’s f****d up project car collection was leaking fluid into the groundwater.”
Moreover, there is no guarantee that ALL of the glass, plastics, and fluids can be removed from the outdoors crash site. It’s a practical impossibility.
To bring this to another perspective, I had a conversation with a respected mechanic and machinist I know, who told me about a customer he had worked with toward restoring a vintage Ford Shelby Cobra.
Not long after the project was finished, the owner died of cancer and had it legally arranged that he wanted to be buried in his beloved car, of which the mechanic was tasked with the request.
Long story short, to be buried in a car requires extensive prep work that includes removing a considerable amount of parts and all fluids, leaving little more than a husk of the vehicle’s frame and body as a coffin before it can be used in a legal burial.
In other words, sending cars flying off a cliff would be illegal in most places because cleanup would not be reasonably thorough enough to everyone’s satisfaction. Alaska excepted, apparently.
For a clearer visual idea of what commenter CrocodileFish is getting at with his concerns, here’s a video of the event that shows and says all.
Sending Cars Full Throttle over 300ft Cliff! (Alaska’s 2025 CAR LAUNCH)
Now it’s your turn to speak your mind: Is this a practice that should be outlawed, or do you think that it is all harmless fun? Let us know in the comments section below.
For additional car-related oddities, here is one about a mystery object some car owners discover on their used car purchase titled “What Is This Inside My 2015 Jeep Frame? I Found Another One Inside The License Plate Holder and one about mysterious critter prints on an owner’s Honda Civic.
Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and restores older vehicles, often incorporating engine modifications for improved performance. He also covers modern cars—including EVs—with a focus on DIY mechanics, tool use and selection, and other topics related to automotive repair. Follow Tim on Twitter (@TimBoyerWrites), Facebook, and his blog, Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair, for daily updates and insights on new and used cars and trucks.
Image Source: Deposit Photos
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Source: torquenews.com
