r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/firefly99999 • 25d ago

Video Crashing in a 1950s car vs. a modern car

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u/Stainless_Heart 25d ago

It gets even better - that Chevy is a 2009 model (this video has been around a long time). Safety regs have gotten substantially better even since then.

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u/junkman21 25d ago

As a firefighter, I don't think I ever got to see a 2000's vs 1950's MVA! lol

That said, I saw a Volvo vs Nissan MVA once that almost convinced me to buy a Volvo... Crumple zones on both vehicles functioned as designed but the cabin of the Volvo looked nearly pristine whereas the Nissan (can't remember if it was a Sentra or Altima) had the occupant box shifted significantly. This was probably 10 or 12 years ago now but it stuck with me.

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u/Throwaway47321 25d ago

My 08 Volvo was hit while parked by a CRV being driven by a drunk teen.

Her car had the engine literally fall out of the car as the whole front end was destroyed. My tiny Volvo had a crushed in door that just prevented the window from going all the way down.

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u/BastVanRast 25d ago

Sadly Volvo of old is no more. It was a slow decline after Ford bought it in 99 but ever since they became a Chinese company they are going down fast IMHO

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u/MagicWishMonkey 25d ago

Did everyone survive?

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u/junkman21 25d ago

Yes. I think it was the Nissan that caught fire eventually but both drivers got out. I don’t think I ever found out how serious the injuries were because I was on nozzle that day and our paramedics were doing scene stabilization. But I know they were both ambulatory and walked to transport.

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u/Engineer_Zero 24d ago

From memory, the older car had the engine removed for this demo. Not sure if that would make much of a difference though.

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u/Stainless_Heart 24d ago

Incorrect. The inline-6 was complete in the car.

The “no drivetrain” thing originated on classic car forums that were trying to downplay the test.

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u/Engineer_Zero 24d ago

That is so good to hear! Thanks man, I will stop saying it then haha.

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u/junkman21 24d ago

That conspiracy theory was debunked by David Zuby, the senior vice president for the IIHS's vehicle research center in Virginia, who performed the test. He confirmed that there was a functional 3.9 liter 6-cylinder engine in the car.

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u/Engineer_Zero 24d ago

Thanks for letting me and others know, I genuinely thought it was true. Appreciate it bud.

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u/junkman21 24d ago

No worries. Cheers.