Another Look At That 1959 Chevy Bel Air Vs. 2009 Chevy Malibu Crash Test

[GURPS]

Automotive safety has come a long way in the second half of the 20th century, and the gap in safety performance and technology of cars built even in 1990 versus today is pretty wide. But when it comes to crash safety of earlier decades it really takes an actual, ahem, head-to-head test like this to demonstrate how things have changed for the better.

Yes, this video has been around for a while, but it's too good to not bring up every decade or so: The two contestants in this unwholesome experiment conducted back in 2009 are a Chevy Malibu from that year and a 1959 Chevy Bel Air. The results of such a test were never going to be pretty, but there are still a few things that are a little surprising in hindsight.

First, the shape of the Bel Air's A-pillar, being curved inward by design to allow for greater visibility, exhibits a tendency to close up inward as the roof collapses on the front-seat passengers. This is one of the reasons A-pillars in cars aren't shaped in this manner anymore—they actually have to support the roof in the event of a rollover and provide greater structural rigidity for the whole greenhouse.

https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/a1704381/1959-chevy-bel-air-vs-2009-chevy-malibu-crash-test-pretty-ghastly/

 

[WingsOfGold]

Pretty amazing, looking underneath the old GM xframes "looked" pretty solid.
I survived a serious crash in a 60 Impala 4 dr sedan 283 powerslide xmission.
Cruising along 60 ish mph 17 years old playing with the radio, new driver x 2 weeks there was a slight S in the road which I didn't adjust to. Jumped the curb, ran over the mail box which had 300 lbs of concrete under it (been hit several times before the guy said) panicked, floored it into the fireplug, (I was incredibly strong for a 120 lb kid, wrestling champ and lifting HEAVY TV's at a repair shop) braced, sheared that off, car rolled, I jumped out where the windshield was. Car kept rolling, I hit my clenched fist on the steering wheel, very slight bloody nose, transmission buckled floor board I'm in middle of road getting rained on from sheared fireplug. Walked away and sat on curb till ambulance came. No apparent damage to me other than pride and totaled 300 dollar 7 or 8 year old car. The 7 or 8 yer old kid didn't help matters when he came out "hot rodding teenager, hot rodding teenager pointing at me) Just what I needed.
7 or 8 years later I would get incredible headaches at night, calcium deposit on rt eye orbit that was rubbing my eyeball I guess. I suppose I cracked my skull They removed that in 74 or 75, 55 or so years later now no problems.
I replaced that 60 Impala with a 60 Impala ragtop....... 327/350 HP out of a 65 Vette beautiful shape...... 300 bucks. LOVED that car and didn't wreck it. I got my wreck out of the way early. X frames were dangerous on head ons.
Nice thing about them most ANY power train components fro 58 - 63 would interchange. Rears, big block 348 dropped right in with the 327 motor mounts, transmission, drive shaft ect. Perfect for a kid with no money and a friend who's father had a old tow truck and several wrecked cars in his yard.

 

[glhs837]

So people complaining about how all the modern conveniences add weight to modern cars, its not really that. Most of those conveniences dont really add much weight, maybe a hundred or so pounds. Its the structure that does it. You could do away with that structure, but then you have a death trap.

@WingsOfGold that is almost the perfect crash. Those items had that most precious of properties, give. They basically acted like an external crumple zone, slowing you over a much longer time than if you had hit an immovable object. I know a fire hydrant doesn't seem to have much give, but that shearing action took place over long milliseconds and each one of those is priceless.

Its sad that crash deaths have climbed back up, but thats all on us. And the only way to get it going back down is to treat "phone driving" the same as drinking and driving, both legally and socially. That might get us over the hump until the day that most people can stay the hell away from the controls and let the car drive.

 

[WingsOfGold]

So people complaining about how all the modern conveniences add weight to modern cars, its not really that. Most of those conveniences dont really add much weight, maybe a hundred or so pounds. Its the structure that does it. You could do away with that structure, but then you have a death trap.

@WingsOfGold that is almost the perfect crash. Those items had that most precious of properties, give. They basically acted like an external crumple zone, slowing you over a much longer time than if you had hit an immovable object. I know a fire hydrant doesn't seem to have much give, but that shearing action took place over long milliseconds and each one of those is priceless.

Its sad that crash deaths have climbed back up, but thats all on us. And the only way to get it going back down is to treat "phone driving" the same as drinking and driving, both legally and socially. That might get us over the hump until the day that most people can stay the hell away from the controls and let the car drive.

With the x frame the A pillar was known to crumple and crush front seat occupants. One of my 9 lives came out of the till that day. Incredibly lucky and being physically fit and maybe divine intervention helped that day.