Car crashes

Think of these as four wheel motorcycles.

A former member of this forum was rear-ended as he was turning from a road by a cell phone distracted person who crested a hill at about 60 mph and was unable to stop, striking the SAS cabriolet and spinning it around.   The car in question was totaled with substantial rear end damage and frame distortion.   The driver walked away without a scratch.   I have a picture of the damage, but it is copyrighted so I can't post it, based upon my understanding of our website rules.  I concluded that the SAS designed proprietary frames are pretty sturdy.  It makes me feel safer, but I still get a little nervous on the interstates being close to tractor trailers.  

In ten years or so, we haven't had a lot of accidents - a few fender crunchers (fiberglass either gives with the impact or shatters....sometimes both) and a nose ding and a single roll-over wherein the driver was killed.

Bottom line is that you're riding around in an over-powered egg shell of a plastic car with little side protection, not much front and rear protection and zero protection if you roll it.

The other big problem is fire in the engine compartment.  They can start quickly and if the fire reaches the underside of the engine compartment and ignites the very flammable plastic resin, the car can be completely engulfed in a minute or so and then it's gone.  If just the rear is lost the car might be salvaged, but it's a big job.

Doug,  While our replicas look very much alike, there are some fundamental differences.  If your car is built on a VW frame, you have a unibody construction underneath you.  Whatever side protection you have depends on the builder who made your car.  To my knowledge, there are no standards or regulations in this area.  The shells or fiberglass bodies are similar to all the builders I am aware of, but tube frame cars offer additional protection in a crash.

Since almost all of our replicas are convertibles, the normal protection of pillars (A, B, C, or D) are absent, except for coupes.  Pillars are the metal frames that extend vertically from the lower frame to the roof, between the windows of hardtops, offering protection in a rollover.  Bottom line: our platforms are unsafe when compared to today's vehicles.  We can increase our odds of survival by changing our driving habits to those of a defensive driver.  If you have a VW-pan based replica, there are lots of pics of totalled bugs on line.  Caveat: it's not an exercise that will inspire confidence.  Keep the rubber side down. 

I agree. Rubber side down and drive it as if it were a motorcycle . I've been hit on a bike and it isn't as much fun as you would think. My motto is TRUST NO ONE !

I do ride motorcycles and am not overly paranoid

Just curious as to what a small accident might look like on a fiberglass car.

I am so in love with the way my car looks I suppose I want to prepare myself a little in case of the unthinkable thinkable   Any photo's of small wreck damage

"I do ride motorcycles and am not overly paranoid" posted by Doug Miller

Doug, 

 That statement alone raises your chances of a collision by 90%     The first thing they teach you about motorcycle riding on the street is,  "Be paranoid"

Oh I am paranoid just not overly paranoid or I would not ride a bike or own the speedster.

When most people in my area are driving giant pickup trucks and hummers you will not live long if you are not defensive.

Fallow up question any one been caught in a hail storm and if so what was the outcome?

It ain't pretty - FB star dings all over the car.

I think of my car as a four wheel motorcycle because that keeps me from doing anything too stupid in it. Unfortunately, that doesn't keep others from behaving in a manner that puts me and the car at risk.

When I was a police officer in SoCal a few decades ago I recall some of the bike accidents and a couple of Corvette crunching events that I rolled up on, and none of them were good news for the participants. Those memories keep me focused on safety in my Speedy.

My other cars, a Volvo XC90 and a Mercedes R350 (about the same size as Cleveland) were bought with safety as a major consideration. The Speedy is my adventure into risk land. 

Gotta have some fun now and then.

Is that a paint issue or do you have to repair or smooth the glass underneath.

I dunno but I got caught in a $hit storm Saturday. Lots and lot of seagulls. I spent a few hours cleaning both inside and outside the car. The fish odor was horrific.

I also ran into one of those just north of Ensenada near a fish processing plant . . .  Made the unfortunate mistake of getting behind a truck on the way to dump with a load of fish guts . . .  Ended up with a white car!  Ooh the pain!

As a motorcycle rider of many years, I remember the advice I was given as a youngster: There are old motorcycle riders and there are bold motorcycle riders. There are NO old, bold motorcycle riders. 

Ditto the plastic skateboard!

I would only add, that it is my intention to avoid the wrong place at the wrong time,

by driving in the same kinds roads, weather and traffic that I have as a motorcycle rider....

that is rural, low traffic roads, with clean and stable surfaces and in the early mornings

and with the constant fear of some sort of accident. 

It is not just how you drive but where and when you drive.   

Hail stone and flying rocks will make spyder web cracks in the gelcoat underneath the paint - same as it would on a fiberglass boat.  They have to be ground out with a Dremel tool and re-glassed (resin and filler) in then sanded and painted.  

I suspect it would take golf ball sized hail to do this type of damage.

Several folks on SOC have replaced quarters of their cars after crashes.  Even entire rear half of their car due to engine fire.  Once repaired vehicle is probably better than new.

Bustedknuckle::

The other popular motorcycle saying is

"There are only 2 kinds of motorcycle riders, those that have gone down and those that are about to go down"