[DML] Re: DeLorean Crash safety

["twinenginedmc12" <twinenginedmc12@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

He shoots, he scores.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Jack Martin.  It's
irreplaceable reports of unique experiences like yours that make this
list worthwhile for me.

Rick Gendreau

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Bob Brandys <BobB@...> wrote:
>
> Claude,
> 
> You are correct that the Bricklin was designed as a safety vehicle.  
> Being in the safety field for over 30 years  now, I was very involved 
> in vehicle safety, back in my younger days at grad school.
> 
> The Bricklin was brought out at the time of the first air bag cars.   
> GM build over  20,000 full size air bag cars, in 74-76.   Mostly Olds 
> and Caddy.    The were a $300 option know as the "air cushion restraint 
> system."  These air bags were much safer than the current design and 
> never killed any kids.
> 
> However, there was a debate whether air bags were needed in a 
> adequately designed car that could absorb crash energy.
> The DOT contracted to have 2 safety vehicle built in 1975  without air 
> bags to test this energy absorbing concept.
> 
> Interestingly, these two vehicle had gull wing side doors.   These two 
> safety vehicles disappeared when Regan became president (along with all 
> the information on making tires quieter (but that's another story).
> 
> Bricklin followed up on this crash energy absorbing/dissapating design 
> and built the SV1.  You could crash into a wall at 50 mph and walk 
> away.  Bricklin even proved this in a live real test.   The main design 
> feature was a steel frame that would crush like an accordian bellows.   
>    Note: this 50 mph survivability without major injury still exceeds 
> the current air bag safety requirements.
> 
> DeLorean used a different energy dissipating principal, that of glass 
> fibers breaking - and dissapating energy.
> 
> Jack Martins, (who died of a brain aneurism about 5 years ago) was the 
> air bag safety consultant to JZD.   Jack was a good friend of mine and 
> I still own his 1976 air bag Oldsmobile.   I restored it, just before 
> he died and he was really happy about the fact that his car was saved.
> 
> Jack and I discussed the safety differences between the D and the B 
> many times.  Overall the Bricklin was the superior safety vehicle.  
> However, if JZD had installed air bags in the Ds, they would have been 
> almost equalivent.
> 
> Jack was also influential the design of other safety features in the D. 
>   For example, the front pillars are padded with about 3 inches of
foam. 
>   The doors have hip displacement absorbing panels and there knee pads 
> on the front dash.
> 
> The energy absorbing front pillar pads only became a mandatory safety 
> feature about 5 years ago.  JZD and Jack were way ahead in this safety 
> feature.
> 
> In addition, to all the other reasons why GM wanted JZD out of 
> business, Jack felt that the DeLorean safety features also scared GM 
> because a better engineered car could be used at trial to show a 
> negligent design by another car company.
> 
> Jack was a expert witness in many product liability suits against, GM, 
> Ford and Chrysler.   Some of his cases were just unbelievable in the 
> stupidity of the engineers who designed stuff.   Many times it turned 
> out the engineers never did the designing-it was young, underpaid, 
> inexperienced draftsman who were told to just make up something that 
> works.
> 
> I really believe that if JZD has been allowed to stay in business, he 
> would have been the first car with standard air bags.  His vehicle were 
> designed for them from day one.
> 
> Anyway, who said that the rear tires don't fit in the bonnet.  They do 
> in the 2015 Delorean.
> 
> Bob
>




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