Don't build 'em like they used too ..

[OzJavelin]

http://bangshift.com/blog/Nightmare-...Show-Cars.html

a collection of horrifying photos from a California car show/cruise night gone very wrong. When the first one we saw was a late model Lexus virtually inside a Pontiac LeMans

Originally I thought this was interesting from the point of "stupid inattentive people" .. but looking at the photos in further detail it's a bit of a case of "they don't build them like they used to" looking at the Pontiac with the door punched inside the car. I realise that the Lexus hit the Pontiac above the sill (one of the strongest points of the car), exerting most of the force into the rear quarter and door .. but I'd have hoped a modern car would have coped better. Suppose thats the price you pay for the sexiness of a pillarless coupe.

It would have been a REAL tragedy if someone had been sitting in the Pontiac.

BTW: I own two old pillarless coupes ('69 and '74 AMC Javelins) so I love older cars but I drive both like I ride my motorbikes .. I know that if I hit anyone (or they hit me), it's me who will most likely come off second best ..

[GT-E]

Yeah I used to think the big old 1970's cars were safer than modern cars, until I saw many examples of where they just fold in half. While a modern car may look worse after an crash, the people inside are far more likely to walk away, where the old cars will deliver injury/death in a same situation.

[Polyal]

Poor old Pontiac! Mind you the pillar-less design must be the worst for side impacts.

[2011G6E]

Yep, they certainly "don't build them like they used to"...thank christ.

I love old cars too...I'd have a Pontiac like that in an instant...but i'd be under no illusions that it's "safer" than a modern car like our G6E. You see it with four wheel drive guys too...they think that because they have a full chassis and heavy bullbar they're "safe"...but crash statistics show the real story...all that impact energy as to go somewhere, and if the vehicle doesn't absorb it, it usually gets transferred to the nice squishy humans inside...

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

You see it with four wheel drive guys too...they think that because they have a full chassis and heavy bullbar they're "safe"...but crash statistics show the real story...all that impact energy as to go somewhere, and if the vehicle doesn't absorb it, it usually gets transferred to the nice squishy humans inside...

I've often wondered about that, its surprising to see the number of SUV type cars that aren't at 5 stars.

[ChrisCE]

It'd be interesting to see what would happen IF the Pontiac hit the Lexus at the same speed & angle, id rekon that Lexus wouldn't hold up too well,
It looks like the Lex got airbourne off the kerb & stove directly into the cabin.

[ClassicServicin]

ohhh nooooooo, how would you be? your right about the pillarless, would of been dangerous for people back then

[ClassicServicin]

lucky there wern't any passengers in the car

[Powdered Toast Man]

Is the Pontiac pre intrusion bars? Looks like it.

I'd be livid with the Lexus driver!

[falconnut]

Yikes, glad i went fro my 1970's and 80's toyota's to my nice safe and strong forte fortress

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

I've often wondered about that, its surprising to see the number of SUV type cars that aren't at 5 stars.

The new Grand Cherokee for example, only got 4 stars.

[SSD-85]

That Lexus owner had better run......fast.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by ChrisCE

It'd be interesting to see what would happen IF the Pontiac hit the Lexus at the same speed & angle, id rekon that Lexus wouldn't hold up too well

Probably the same outcome, the Lexus would cane the Pontiac, it's body structure is probably full of exotic high-strength steels like Boron Alloy that was still the stuff of science fiction when that Ponty was made.

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

The new Grand Cherokee for example, only got 4 stars.

Yep, 4 stars by both EuroNCAP AND the US NHTSA.

[Franco Cozzo]

New cars look really bad when they've been in severe accidents, the body is totally rooted but the outcome is generally no deformation to the passenger cell, or very little, driver comes out with minor burns on their face from the airbag deployment, deaf for a few minutes, bruises from the seatbelt, bruised ego and needing a new pair of jocks.

Cars are designed to crumple up around you, they're designed to slow down or extend that sudden stop if you will so that force is taken up over a longer period of time or partially absorbed by things like plastic bumpers, engineering designed into the structure etc.

Whereas with 60s cars, dash deforms in odd ways, non collapsable steering columns possibly punching through torso's, loose fitting seatbelt causing severe internal injuries when you hit it hard during the accident, no crumple zones so all that force gets taken up by the people in the car, etc.

[XR Martin]

If this isnt enough proof, then I dont know what is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

If this isnt enough proof, then I dont know what is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g

I wondered when this video would rear it's ugly head again...
Besides being a waste of a 1959 Chev, have a look at the rust and crap that comes out of that Chev at impact...many people have looked closely at that video and come to the conclusion that it was very likely a rust-riddled oldie...I mean, they're not going to go to a restorer and buy a 100 point factory fresh restoration and crash that, are they?

That aside though yes, a new car will indeed look a mess, but the passenger cabin is usually pretty much OK, and usually the doors even still open.

I'd rather be smacked in the side of our G6E than our Kingswood ute or '82 Celica...

[falconnut]

I do feel much safer in my car than my mums 92 Cressida, it doesnt even have airbags :(

[Ford_The_Win]

For a real eye opener check out these 60s crash tests. It's amazing anybody lived through that era! Those big glitzy cars, all that weight, all the chrome, they just mush like butter.

http://youtu.be/siT-SIfOnQw

[falconnut]

I guess all that weight had to go somewhere.

If i ever got a car older than 1970's again i would get some decent safety gear and chassis reinforcements quicksmart.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by falconnut

I guess all that weight had to go somewhere.

If i ever got a car older than 1970's again i would get some decent safety gear and chassis reinforcements quicksmart.

huh....

[falconnut]

I should have specified old American imports, i love classic muscle cars.

[Iggypoppin']

This begs the question...what on earth was the lexus driver doing in the carpark to lose control and hit the pontiac? I would be a bit more than angry if it was my Pontiac, and that Lexus driver better have good insurance and nice long legs for running.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

This begs the question...what on earth was the lexus driver doing in the carpark to lose control and hit the pontiac? I would be a bit more than angry if it was my Pontiac, and that Lexus driver better have good insurance and nice long legs for running.

It was probably another one of those ones where the silly cow mistook the throttle pedal for the brake.

People that do this should have their licenses suspended. It demonstrates they are incapable of controlling a car and distinguishing its basic control inputs from one another.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I wondered when this video would rear it's ugly head again...
Besides being a waste of a 1959 Chev, have a look at the rust and crap that comes out of that Chev at impact...many people have looked closely at that video and come to the conclusion that it was very likely a rust-riddled oldie...I mean, they're not going to go to a restorer and buy a 100 point factory fresh restoration and crash that, are they?

LOLs
Theres as much conspiracy BS on that video than there is on 9/11, but in the end of the day Youtube comments ≠ fact.

It was as a legit crash test as you're ever going to get and old school fans just need to face the facts.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

LOLs
Theres as much conspiracy BS on that video than there is on 9/11, but in the end of the day Youtube comments ≠ fact.

It was as a legit crash test as you're ever going to get and old school fans just need to face the facts.

i personally don't believe a brand new 59 chev would crumple like that, but i totally agree that new cars are much safer. of course to make them safer, they look worse for wear than older cars in similar crashes. they also cost more to fix but what price do you put on safety

i agree with 2011g6e's sentiments that it may have been full of rust or had some dodgy repairs done. i would still rather hit an air bag in decent seats, than a metal dash as well as the steering wheel in those seats

[TC200six]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

i personally don't believe a brand new 59 chev would crumple like that, but i totally agree that new cars are much safer. of course to make them safer, they look worse for wear than older cars in similar crashes. they also cost more to fix but what price do you put on safety

i agree with 2011g6e's sentiments that it may have been full of rust or had some dodgy repairs done. i would still rather hit an air bag in decent seats, than a metal dash as well as the steering wheel in those seats

The 59 Chev doesn't have much a chassis for its era. Most body on frame cars have side rails, but the Chevrolet of that model doesn't therefore it has a weakness in the middle and didn't hold up well in a high-impact crash. I would like to have seen how well a Dodge or a Ford of the same model would have faired.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by TC200six

The 59 Chev doesn't have much a chassis for its era. Most body on frame cars have side rails, but the Chevrolet of that model doesn't therefore it has a weakness in the middle and didn't hold up well in a high-impact crash. I would like to have seen how well a Dodge or a Ford of the same model would have faired.

image

Wow...I'm more used to the look of '55 to '57 chassis rails...I've never actually seen a '59 chassis before. I'm no engineer but one look at that and you can see there'sa glaring weakness right there in the middle...a push from one corner or the other (as in, say, an offset frontal impact test as in the video...) and it's obvious the forces are going to try and bend the body right in the middle there were the big "X" is...

The impact in that original photo might not have been that fast you know...a Lexus isn't a tinny little cheap car...it's a stringly made quality vehicle, and a pillarless coupe isn't exactly the strongest in the middle there. If it had been a higher speed impact, the Lexus would have sustained far more damage...it doesn't look that bad.

[OzJavelin]

If the Lexus had hit something like a 1969 Chrysler Imperial SEDAN I think it might have been a different story .. Probably would have just pushed the Imperial into the Ford and bent the B-pillar and roof a bit. Late sixties / early seventies full sized Mopar (primarily pillared sedans) have supposedly been banned from demo derby in the USA as they are largely indestructible, unibody tanks .. But I'd still rather take my chances in the FG in an accident!

[Elks]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I wondered when this video would rear it's ugly head again...
.

This one of a VC Commodore is a little to close to home, and far worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOqD54oxRA

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Elks

This one of a VC Commodore is a little to close to home, and far worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOqD54oxRA

isnt that the clip where the floorpan was full of concrete or something?