29/05/2026
In 1971, University of Adelaide engineering students pulled off one of Australia’s most famous pranks by hanging an FJ Holden under the River Torrens footbridge as part of their annual charity Prosh Day. The hilarious twist was that they used their own professor's car—without his prior knowledge.
Before executing the stunt, students approached the professor and hypothetically asked how he would go about hanging a car from a bridge. He unwittingly laid out the exact engineering blueprint they later used. To make the lift possible, the students completely gutted the FJ Holden, stripping out the engine, transmission, and heavy interior parts. Under the cover of darkness, they rolled the stripped chassis to the riverbank. Using beams, lifting gear, and a hand-operated crane mounted on the bridge, they hoisted the vehicle underneath, secured it with heavy chains, and vanished into the night.
