Daytona crash test footage

What the heck was that?

What was the extra bracing tubing for? What was the gizmo mounted on that tubing? And what was on the back, where a license plate would go?

Someone here must know the backstory.

Matt

 

Telemetry equipment.

 

Interesting footage. Awesome find.

 

I would say it is remote control equipment

 

I would guess the bracing was just the mount for the steering remote control. Looked like the trailing car was being used to control the Daytona. I thought the lights on the box on the rear was interesting, I'm wondering if they indicated when it was going the right speed.

 

Cool footage. The Daytona must have been fitted with an automatic transmission to do that without a driver.

 

Not sure what speed this Daytona was traveling, but i am impressed with the crash worthiness for that time. Not a small overlap with today's standards, but still not bad. Looks the test was done by Fiat engineers. Thank you for posting

 

I wonder if a 550 would fare any worse. Seriously. Does anyone know?

 

Wonder if the car was issued a S/N and whether or not it was scrapped after the test.

 

Clip downloaded from "Centro Storico Fiat" ( Fiat Historical Archive), a YT channel were you may find a lot of visual docs related to manufacturing, testing and advertising of Fiat & Lancia vehicles . Very interesting and educative, most of the clips in Italian language
i.E: []

 

Quite a few years ago a journalist got onto the Ferrari property and took some pictures of the big pile of cars used for crash testing. They are kept, I believe by law and no parts of any kind were removed. It was actually quite a trove of good used parts.

 

No it had a standard shifter. It wasn't going that fast. Could have just started out in 2nd. Car could easily go that fast in 2nd.

 

I saw a 575 that hit a solid wall. Expensive repair do to the added complexity and parts cost but in terms of damage it wasn't that bad.

 

Did Daytonas have tube frames? As I recall, they are strong.

 

I’m very interested in the point at which you can balance fun and analogue with some level of safety. Is it at the 550? Or can one stretch to a Daytona?

 

Depends on your definition of safety. I ride motorcycles. I am the best safety equipment I know of. Been riding over 50 years and I am still alive. That included a lot of commuting rain or shine.

 

Kind of. The center section is pretty strong but as with any of them the ends are mostly structure for hanging body on. At about the place that the crushing stopped its pretty strong. I think in this crash the most important element is its not that heavy a car so there is not a great deal of energy.

Strong isn't really what you want in an accident. You want energy absorption. A big Benz gets crashed like that and nothing left in front of the firewall but the doors will still open.

 

Its the idiot factor that concerns me most. Like today I am driving the 'high road' from Laglio to Como and some crazy Italian in a van just has to get past and overtakes on a very blind corner. Luckily no one was coming the other way. Careful or not thats a hard one to avoid. 500m later the idiot is parked on the side of the road - go figure!

 

And my primary safety system has been doing a great job of defending me against idiots. I find Italian drivers vastly superior to their American counterparts. And since living in Texas they seem to be the worst I have experienced. It is as though they never converted from the horse successfully. The number of single car accidents is mind boggling. They all drive with the motto "What could go wrong". The guard rails on the road leading to my house get destroyed quite regularly from single car accidents. They ram the ends because they are too busy texting to be able to drive too. Texting and driving is a Texans God given right.

 

As far as your truck story. I was on a mountain rod and a tour bus going the other way left no room on a tight turn for anything but a motorcycle. Luckily I was on one or I'd have hit that bus.

Ergo motorcycles are safer.

 

I love that they waste 2mns with some creative angles only to miss the actual crash. Italians are amazing.

 

They ram the ends because they are too busy texting to be able to drive too. Texting and driving is a Texans God given right.[/QUOTE]

Brian, yes, a God given right... and God takes it away sometimes too.

Perry