The idea of a new and very stiff car, crashing into a much older (and much less stiff) car is truly scary. Back when car safety was not prioritized as it is now, manufacturers used to do the bare-minimum in terms of passenger protection, yet since all cars were like that a few decades ago, when they did crash into one-another, the cars flexed and bent, dissipating the kinetic energy of the impact.
However, if an old car crashes into a new one, the new car’s crumple zones and much stiffer body mean that the old car will take a lot more damage than it would have, if it had crashed into a car of similar age/stiffness. In this video from Russia, a BMW X1 crashes into a Lada, though not with that much force. However, the side of the Lada bends considerably, whereas the BMW is structurally-intact.
It is one of the dangers of running a classic car in today’s traffic conditions. Our recommendation? If you want a safe old car, buy a Saab, as the Swedish manufacturer incorporated a lot of safety into all of their cars, even the very old ones. Don’t buy an old Lada, because despite the fact that it has very thick steel incorporated into its construction, it is not safe by any means.
It is one of the dangers of running a classic car in today’s traffic conditions. Our recommendation? If you want a safe old car, buy a Saab, as the Swedish manufacturer incorporated a lot of safety into all of their cars, even the very old ones. Don’t buy an old Lada, because despite the fact that it has very thick steel incorporated into its construction, it is not safe by any means.
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