Old timers used to say the old cars were bigger and heavier and safer than the modern ones. Don't hear that much any more. ABS, air bags and crumple zones have proven their value over and over.
But still, this is a telling video. Check out the end were you see the inside the cars camera view.
http://www.wimp.com/crashtest/
Remember when the newspaper headlines the days before the big holidays would publish front page headlines: "DOT predicts 5000 deaths this Holiday weekend" and they were ususally right.
They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
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maytag
- Posts: 1789
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:22 pm
- Your car is a: 1976 124 spider
- Location: Rocky Mountains....UTAH! (Not Colorado)
Re: They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
WOW.
WOW.
WOW.
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
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azygoustoyou
Re: They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
Wow that just shows the improvements they made with thin sheet metal and the way they use it.
I'd definitely rather be in the new car. Thanks for sharing.
I'd definitely rather be in the new car. Thanks for sharing.
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Tobi
Re: They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
That makes you think, the Chevy is only 10 years older than our Spiders and SUV's and Picup's seem to get bigger and
bigger.
bigger.
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azruss
- Posts: 3659
- Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 12:24 pm
- Your car is a: 80 Fiat 2000 FI
Re: They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
man, i thought you were talked about an old car. You need to get back to the late 40s and early 50s to get cars that had heavy bumper and thick sheetmetal. There is an Aussie movie called "the car that ate Paris" or something like that. should be on everyone's watch list if for nothing else than the seriously wierd cars in the movie. In one scene, one car backs up repeatedly into another. the lack of sheet metal damage is amazing. In high speed collisions like the video, nothing beats the modern car.
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baltobernie
- Patron 2020
- Posts: 3466
- Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 6:00 pm
- Your car is a: 1973 Spider [sold]
- Location: Baltimore, MD
Re: They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
The video isn't fake, but it's something of a set-up. They picked a 1959-1960 Chevy because of its X-frame, used only for those two MY's. Notoriously weak, particularly when struck on the front corner. Remember that the NHSTS nor computer simulations existed back then. It took a while for data to be aggregated.
Nonetheless, there is no question that modern cars are light years ahead of our Spiders in terms of crash survivability. Even a Smart car would be safer than a Spider. Drive 'em like a four-wheeled motorcycle!
Back to the video. Did any of you notice that the Bel Air did not have an engine or a transmission? That might have helped
And where's the video of a rust-free deuce-and-a-quarter or Rocket 98 clobbering a new Malibu 
Nonetheless, there is no question that modern cars are light years ahead of our Spiders in terms of crash survivability. Even a Smart car would be safer than a Spider. Drive 'em like a four-wheeled motorcycle!
Back to the video. Did any of you notice that the Bel Air did not have an engine or a transmission? That might have helped
And where's the video of a rust-free deuce-and-a-quarter or Rocket 98 clobbering a new Malibu