Smart Car?

[STLRegal]

And roll cages kind of debunk crumple zones....

No it doesn't. Crumple zones are mostly found on the front or rear. They give and absorb the energy. Roll cages just keep the passenger section intact. And all modern cars cabins are designed to stay intact the best they can while remaining usable.

It's not about the car staying together it's about the people inside surviving. Here's a good read on crumple zones in racing.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/crumple-zone3.htm

 

[L67ss]

Actually crumple zones are located throughout the car. And have you ever seen fwd dirt track? Cage spans the entire car. And the dirt fwd cars never go much faster than they would on the highway

 

[STLRegal]

Actually crumple zones are located throughout the car. And have you ever seen fwd dirt track? Cage spans the entire car. And the dirt fwd cars never go much faster than they would on the highway

They just look like regular fwd cars with appropriate racing safety equipment added.
If they are built on the original frames then they absolutely have crumple zones. (Assuming the base car did)

I'm sure they also have harnesses, racing seats, helmets, racing suits, and being driven by competent drivers who are alert, in a controlled environment where everyone slows down if there is an incident or obstruction and emergency crews on standby near by. All things that help prevent and help in a crash.

 

[L67ss]

When you add the cage it takes the crumple zones off the table

 

[axisg]

Safer than a pipe dream crumple zone car lol. Hell I hit a tree in my cutlass doing at least 50. We pulled it out of the ditch, jump started it and I drove home

I have a hard time believing you hit a tree at least 50 mph and all you needed was a tug out of the ditch and a boost to get going again. The vids with a full frontal or rear impact at 35 mph destroyed the car. Hitting a tree at 50 mph would wrap the car around it unless it was a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that you mowed down like a corn stalk ? LOL Believe what you will.

Funny to think this started over a speaker install on a car that looks like a roller skate.

 

[L67ss]

Was the car mint afterwards? No. Did it drive fine after swapping tires? Yes. And tree was roughly 12" thick

 

[pontiacgp]

When you add the cage it takes the crumple zones off the table

no crumple zones on this car...but the steel body gets creased and with a new front clip welded in we were on the track the next Friday night. Driver had a 5 point belt and a Hans device

 

[1evilregal]

A shame they destroyed that 59 Chevy.

if you look at the still frame images around the impact time, you'll see the tell tale rust colored clouds.... car was more than likely a rusted hull with plenty of makeup to make it look pristine...

talk about your crumple zones...

 

[UNGN]

X-frames relied 100% on the rockers in an ofset crash

if you look at the still frame images around the impact time, you'll see the tell tale rust colored clouds.... car was more than likely a rusted hull with plenty of makeup to make it look pristine...

The X-frame in a '59 would make it particularly bad in an offset crash. The frame will buckle and there is little resistance until the intruding car hits the doorpost/rocker.

This is why Chevy used a '59 for this commercial and not a '49 Chevy, where the results would not have been so dramatic.

 

[1evilregal]

too many things just looked wrong in that vid as well.... front clip buckled way too far to have a motor in it, exhaust just seemed to move itself out of the way too straightly for having a y-pipe supposedly twisting around.... pass front fender just seemed to come off without tearing bolts or the like.... I could go on.....

it's just like hollywood doctoring up junkers for crash scenes, it's all about the drama...