It’s not just 911s and Minis that are big now.
- Thread starter Tony Lockhart
- Start date
Hopefully neither as there is a ****ing pandemic!!!!!
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
Not sure. Yes, the Cortina probably has harder edges and corners, etc, but the relative mass, and therefore the potential for energy transfer from car to pedestrian is surely greater, for a given speed.
Bart
pfm Member
Also owners are reluctant to park on the road as they take up the whole lane so they are parked half on the pavement cracking it up and further diminishing pedestrian safety, push chairs and mobility scooters often have to go onto the road to get around them.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
No pavements where I live 
Snufkin
pfm Member
My first born was transferred home in one of these although mine didn't look this good:
Snufkin
pfm Member
The Alfa is just a cheap copy.
Though with the 1200cc 34HP 'Beetle' engine originally fitted, it broke few performance records.
Back in the early 80’s I had a 1965 Karmann Ghia. It had a very mildly tweaked 34hp engine so was probably making at healthy 37hp. Regarding performance, its top speed (cruising speed) was an indicted 80-85mph. It was surprisingly quick as sitting in the outside lane at those sorts of speeds, most people got out the way as they probably thought it was an old Porsche coming up behind them. Another performance plus point was its MPG. Because it was more slippery than a Beetle it still averaged over 40mpg which was a plus because it was my main form of transport for about a year.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Karmann
The crash test dummy results prove without doubt that new cars are safer to be hit by.
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
Apparently, there's a firm specialising in converting any rear-engined, air cooled VW derivative to electric drive, using e-Up gubbins. Could be seriously tempted to do a Karmann Ghia.
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
And no doubt would be safer still, if the cars weighed 25% less.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Manufacturers are always battling to reduce weight. It instantly improves fuel economy, performance and handling. But if the majority of people want toys, they’d what the manufacturers sell. I thing all or most of the Land Rover products are aluminium based now.
Cheese
Bitter lover
A very stylish car, mefinds. Being not at all interested in horsepower, I’d buy one today - a real pity that they have stopped production. Same goes for the Yeti.
Snufkin
pfm Member
I liked the look of the Yeti and it didn’t look like all the other cars on the road. Skoda’s current AWD offerings are so boring.
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
Indeed, it's a virtuous circle which I'm well familiar with (I drive an Audi A2). My point is that the NCAP 'star' rating for safety sent all manufacturers chasing after 5 star ratings, because a 'mere' 4-star car was inevitably one that would kill or maim your kids, obvs. This adds weight, and girth and is largely responsible for where we are today. The toys add more, of course, but in percentage terms, not so much, so are easier for manufacturers to incorporate while telling themselves their extra weight doesn't matter all that much.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
I’m not so sure that pedestrian safety (front of vehicle only?) adds any weight at all. A soft, curvy cushioning front end might even be lighter?
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
I think this misses the point. If you take 2 othewise identical vehicles and do the pedestrian collision test, if one of the vehicles weighed 25% less than the other, less energy would be transferred to the pedestrian in the collision. That's basic physics.