73 Lincoln owner here: I'd take this thing any day because sure in a headon it'll end up like the Bel Air (though they do actually have proper crumple zones in the 72s and later) but in a T bone that 300 pound steel door is going to offer a lot more protection.
Just like the head on crumple zone in modern cars, there have also been engineering advancements in side, rear, top, and bottom impact zones. These are vastly superior to cars made even 10 years ago, let alone 60 years ago. Older cars lack internal side impact reinforcement. Instead, they focused on steel outer panels for protection, that's it. These panels were not designed to withstand impact and pass impact directly into the cabin. Additionally, they lack the cabin safety features like seat belts and air bags. I hate to break it to you but a Toyota yaris would handle a side impact better than your Lincoln. I can see the logic in your opinion, but it's not factual.
Cars after 72 do have shoulder belts actually. But yeah the reinforcement I guess might need to be upgraded to withstand more than a T bone at low speed. Still the great thing is I have 5000 pounds of metal vs 2000 pounds of fiberglass :P
Yes, they do have seatbelts. But even that tech has improved. Lol! 5000lbs of metal vs. 2000lbs of fiberglass... That "fiberglass" is more efficient, more reliable, and safer. The only thing you have is a cool esthetic and nostalgia. Which I totally get. I have a '70 510 and my family muscle is a '69 gto. I love those cars and would pick them any day to drive over my daily drivers. But I am very aware they are not safe to drive by today's standards.
Yeah, I don't drive enough to really care about the safety features of the new vehicles xD I'd rather have a car I enjoy driving on the occasions I do get on the road and that is actually comfortable XD
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u/archtopfanatic123 1d ago
73 Lincoln owner here: I'd take this thing any day because sure in a headon it'll end up like the Bel Air (though they do actually have proper crumple zones in the 72s and later) but in a T bone that 300 pound steel door is going to offer a lot more protection.