---
title: "Watch a Bunch of Beater Cars Go Flying Off a 300-Foot Cliff in Alaska"
description: "What, that's not how you celebrate the Fourth of July?"
date: "2017-09-22"
modified: "2017-09-22"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/14571/watch-a-bunch-of-beater-cars-go-flying-off-a-300-foot-cliff-in-alaska"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "Alaska"
  - "Beaters"
  - "cliff"
  - "Fourth of July"
  - "junkers"
---

# Watch a Bunch of Beater Cars Go Flying Off a 300-Foot Cliff in Alaska

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/09/cliff-1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Fireworks and the Fourth of July go together like, well, apple pie and America. But the big ones ain't cheap, and [it's hard to put on a good show](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/12132/watch-this-guy-celebrate-america-with-a-firework-shooting-corvette-burnout>) with a bunch of Roman candles. So a hunting lodge in Alaska came up with a solution that we at *The Drive* believe should be adopted by people across the country in lieu of sparklers: Launching old, junked-up cars off the nearest 300-foot cliff. The signature drive starts on Monday.

A video [posted to YouTube](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zPD15A46AY&t=5s>) this week showcases this year's festivities, and it looks like everyone in Glacier View, Alaska turned out for the day-long event. Organizer Arnie Hrncir explains that he wanted to do something special for the Fourth of July to bring people to his lodge, and with fireworks out of the question, this was the next best thing he could think of.

Over the last 20 years, the display has evolved from a small gathering to a festival-like event that draws hundreds of people and raises money for veterans. Volunteers supply the cars, which are stripped down and launched off the 300-foot cliff with their throttles pinned using a home-built guide rail system. The owners are also responsible for trucking the twisted remains home to avoid starting a junkyard in the landing zone.

https://youtube.com/embed/3zPD15A46AY

If that all sounds like a lot of work for three seconds of hilarious destruction, it is—but one look at the crowd's reaction shows it's worth it. The cars soar like majestic eagles; it's *Grand Theft Auto* or *Beam.NG Drive* brought to life. Some land remarkably intact, while others tumble and roll into unrecognizable heaps. Either way, the moment when all four wheels leave solid ground is as exciting as any bomb bursting in air.

Here's another video from this year's event, filmed by spectators. Looks like a fun time up there.

https://youtube.com/embed/s7FoZ7HW0EU

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)