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The most common perception about a Jeep is that it's an all-terrain vehicle which you can take up to the mountains, go across deserts or on off-roading trails. But Gary Humphrey and Bill Wu had a slightly different idea about what to do with their Jeep, which they called Ruby. For the TV show Car Vs Wild, the duo took Ruby through a dense mountain forest, a desert, a 35-metre rock wall and through volcanic belt and craters in Mexico.
Humphrey, a former British Special Forces soldier, along with Wu, an American car fanatic, describe their journey as a "fun-filled adrenaline ride". Before going on their adventurous tumble, the two didn't carry out any major modifications to their beloved Ruby. "Normally jeeps are six-cylinder-powered vehicles but we took a four-cylinder machine," says Humphrey.
The idea, says Wu, was to show that you can take a normal Jeep across the most dangerous terrains. They, however, did make certain changes to their 12-year-old, second-hand Jeep Wrangler. The engine was coated with a material to protect it from snow, the suspension was lifted and the tyres were changed to those more suited to the weather and different terrains.
The journey - which lasted 64 days - started from Wu's house in San Diego. The duo travelled across Mexico, crossing the Sierra Juarez mountains, the Laguna salt plains, on to the beaches of the Caribbean peninsula bordering Mexico and then the most scary section - the drive to the top of the 14,000-ft high Pico De Orizaba mountain. "The active volcanic craters were really scary and I don't think any other vehicle has ever been up there," says Humphrey.
This isn't the first show which the duo has done. Last year they teamed up for One Car Too Far when they took their Jeep across Chile's different climate subtypes over three days. This, however, was a totally different experience on all levels. "We wanted to test our own endurance level, as well as the vehicle's," says Humphrey. They carried rations which could last long enough, a sufficient amount of fuel, a lot of water, fire-lighting gear, and tarpaulin among other stuff.
"It was crazy at times," says Wu, recalling how the under-carriage of the Jeep caught fire and they barely managed to extinguish it before it could spread to the fuel tank. In Baja, they crossed a valley that has rarely been explored. "The waters were deep and driving across it meant we had to partially sink Ruby," says Humphrey. There were several other scary and thrilling moments throughout the journey but it was "worth every moment" to the two.
The idea was to put both man and the machine in situations where their limits were tested. Humphrey, who has driven in all kinds of environments, including icy terrains and jungles, says that they also wanted to show Mexico in a different light. "It's a beautiful country and through the show we hope we managed to show that," he says. Wu, who owns five Hummers, a Lamborghini and a customised jeep, says traversing the dangerous terrain was a "life-changing experience for him."
A 10-part series, CAR VS. WILD will premiere at 10 pm on September 16 on Discovery Channel
