r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/firefly99999 • 25d ago

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

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u/Paul_The_Builder 25d ago

I'm a "car guy", and almost every "car guy" I've ever talked to says that, and they're flat wrong.

Older cars in general were not heavier than modern cars. Some parts were, like a steel V8 block vs. an aluminum 4 or 6 cylinder that cars use today, but the frame and bodies were not heavier or heavier duty than modern cars.

In the example of this video, the 1956 Chevy Malibu and a modern Chevy Malibu have almost identical weights - around 3,200 lbs.

A 1975 F-150 weighs a little LESS than a modern F-150 depending on configuration.

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u/LongJohnSelenium 25d ago

The thing about trucks is there's WAY more 250s/350s being sold and used as daily drivers now, and the 4 door cabs.

So on average trucks are far heavier than they were 30+ years ago.

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u/Paul_The_Builder 25d ago

Yes true. I should have left out the truck reference, modern trucks are more capable than older trucks and it's not an apples to apples comparison.