The Ford Explorer ‘Cherokee Truckster’, National Lampoon’s Vacation knockoff

The Ford Explorer was nonetheless a twinkle within the just lately launched Ford Bronco II’s proverbial eyes when Nationwide Lampoon’s Trip hit theaters in the summertime of 1983. At the time, station wagons have been the household automobiles of selection for People on the transfer, not SUVs. So it is no shock that the {movie}’s an important character, Clark Griswold, takes his household on a street journey to Walley World in a ghastly inexperienced station wagon, replete with horrid wooden paneling, generally known as the Wagon Queen Household Truckster. In fact, the fictional individual’s mover was little greater than a modified 1979 Ford LTD Nation Squire.

However, what if Griswold’s street journey came about a decade later? Would the household nonetheless hit the street in a station wagon? Possibly. Then once more, Clark may need determined to affix the hoards of households embracing truck-based SUVs such because the nonetheless fairly new Ford Explorer. For higher or worse, such an imaginative and prescient of this alternate timeline exists and is pictured right here. The fairly unlucky automobile bears the title Cherokee Truckster.

Presumably, a tie-in between the fictional Wagon Queen model and Ford, the 1994 Ford Explorer Cherokee Truckster proudly wears its Blue Oval and Explorer badges. Nevertheless, the Cherokee Truckster equipment provides an unmistakably Household Truckster-inspired type to Ford’s household SUV. Inexperienced paint? Examine. (That is reportedly one in all simply three Explorers to go away the manufacturing unit on this hue.) Cheesy fake wooden paneling? Yep. A great deal of baggage tied to the roof racks? You already know it.

This particular Explorer additionally incorporates a host of era-specific additions, too, similar to outsized operating boards, massive mud flaps, and cheesy chrome bits surrounding the wheel wells and decrease door panels. Look previous the outside bits, although this appears to be like several run-of-the-mill XLT-grade 1994 Explorer, from its grey material inside to its 4.0-liter V-6 engine.

Then once more, would you anticipate Clark Griswold, of all individuals, to pay additional for an automobile with significant consolation and comfort or efficiency upgrades? In fact, not. Clark’s the kind of sucker to get upsold on an additional such because the Cherokee Truckster bundle—one which provides little substance, however, reeks of horrible style.

Not that we would ever say such issues concerning the particular person or household that finally indicators the title of this Cherokee Truckster (not less than to not their faces), which is ready to hit the block at Mecum’s upcoming Kissimmee, Florida public sale. Credit score our colleagues at Motor1.com for making us conscious of this piece of vehicular fan fiction.