Poor Chevy S10 Crushed in Retro Camper Shell Strength Test: Video

In this retro test, a Chevy S10 was purposely rolled over to demonstrate just how strong its Brahma camper shell really is.

A lot of folks – us included – had quite the affinity for the Chevy S10 during its years of existence, and many of us have also owned at least one of the small, efficient pickups in our lifetimes, too. While it was built as essentially an economical and disposable method of transportation, the Chevy S10 is more than that to a lot of GM fans, who have become quite smitten with the compact hauler. Thus, it’s actually kind of painful to watch this old TV show clip that just resurfaced.

Many will undoubtedly remember this show – Fight Back! with David Horowitz – which ran from 1976 all the way up to 1992. The consumer advocacy show was created specifically to inform people when there were poor quality products out there being sold, and in many cases, it did so with some nicely integrated humor, to boot. Horowitz passed away back in 2019, but his daughter has since carried the “Fight Back” torch and continues his work today.

As for this clip, it shows off a stunt put on by Brahma, the now-defunct makers of camper shells that were quite popular back in the 1980s. Brahma set it self apart from the pack by marketing its products as being lightweight and incredibly durable, thanks to what it touted as “indestructible” molded plastic construction – not traditional fiberglass, which can crack under pressure.

In this segment on Fight Back!, Brahma went so far as to buy a Chevy S10 and hire a stunt driver to try and “smash” the Brahma camper shell fitted to the pickup. That driver proceeded to purposely roll the pickup over, driving over a ramp and resulting in it landing upside down. When the truck was upright again, we can see that the roof is partially caved in and the hood is all dented up, smashing up the windshield in the process and resulting in some significant damage.

 

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However, that isn’t the case with the Brahma camper shell, which remains intact and undamaged – backing up the company’s claims in rather dramatic fashion. It’s certainly an effective way to advertise a product like this, but it’s also pretty unfortunate that a nice old Chevy S10 had to perish in the process – especially in retrospect.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.