After the Transporter was rear ended by Adam Ferrara's 1982 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham in Mexico, the Volkswagen's entire engine case split in half, rendering the car unusable. Wood took the car to a Mexican mechanic, who did not speak English, and Wood's Spanish wasn't perfect. Rutledge told the mechanic to fix the engine and add more horsepower, but understood as adding a horse to the car. Since the car woundn't move with a broken engine and a horse, Rutledge had to cut off the entire rear body of the car, leaving only the front and the compartment for the front passenger and drive seats.