The Whoops! column pretty much began as a caption contest in Tailgate (later changed to Drivelines). We'd shoot a stuck or twisted photo at a race or a trail ride, or someone would send us a shot of himself or another driver. Then we'd ask you to rub it in his face some more. In June '86 we made the first official demand for more blunders, and in August of that year Whoops! debuted, stadium style. We figured no one would ever admit to making a faux pas, so we had to offer a hundred bucks as a bribe to humiliate yourself. Now our mailbox overflows with the darndest predicaments--and for no pay! Here's the most curious and laughable.
"The Best of Tailgate" July '86
Martin Loshniowsky has no idea how much joy this photo has brought to everyone at 4-Wheel through the years. It ran with the caption: "Jeez, I'm getting tired of all this 'Run, Fido, get help' crap." Don't overlook Fido's friend tasting it behind him. Oh, yeah, there's a Jeep really stuck in the background.
Cover May '95
This month we featured the best Whoops!, and what better way to kick off the issue than with Jim Forbes on (well, actually, off) Potato Salad Hill in Moab. Dr. James P. Rhodes II captured Jim's CJ-5 as it rolled all the way down the hill and again as it switched directions and continued down the gully. In Sept. '94's best of Whoops!, there's a shot of where it was laid to rest.