• Final Alloy Bodied 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Discovered
    41 replies, posted
[QUOTE=squids_eye;32734556]Why don't they make cars that look like that anymore?[/QUOTE] Weight, safety, gas mileage, usability, cost. If a gullwing car flips over, the doors need explosive bolts in order to be opened.
Wow, nice to see that Victoria actually sees some car action for once. Living here, it's a very quiet town with nothing particularly interesting. You see the occasional ricer and the occasional mustang, a rare once in a while, I see a Stingray or something that catches my eye, but otherwise it's a quiet rather small city (300,000 people). Mostly tourists too. Good to know my city is getting some recognition for once. I'll definitely have to check out this car once it gets restored.
[QUOTE=BenJammin';32734067]For some reason I can't get excited about cars. They are just cars to me, nothing special.[/QUOTE] I don't either, but this is a pretty funky looking car.
[QUOTE=Saber15;32737038]Weight, safety, gas mileage, usability, cost. If a gullwing car flips over, the doors need explosive bolts in order to be opened.[/QUOTE] I said look like, not build exactly the same. I just like the general look of older cars, most modern ones which you see driving about where I live look like semicircles on wheels.
[QUOTE=ChristopherB;32736431]It's funny seeing all the car enthusiasts practically falling over themselves for "classic" car designs. Rose-tinted glasses for an era they were never a part of. Modern cars are just too "mainstream". :rolleyes:[/QUOTE] Good design is good design, and that car is certainly one of the best looking cars I've ever seen. I don't see how liking an old car implies that you hate modern cars.
[QUOTE=Saber15;32737038][del]Weight[/del], safety, [del]gas mileage[/del], [del]usability[/del], cost. If a gullwing car flips over, the doors need explosive bolts in order to be opened.[/QUOTE] More like designers are pussies.
[QUOTE=MIPS;32738246]More like designers are pussies.[/QUOTE] lol what they cant just make cars how ever they want too
[QUOTE=squids_eye;32737291]I said look like, not build exactly the same. I just like the general look of older cars, most modern ones which you see driving about where I live look like semicircles on wheels.[/QUOTE] It doesn't matter. You do realize that the look of the car also reflects safety standards? Honda's are so bubbly because it's cheap to design a safe car that way. It also has to do with pedestrian safety. Why do you think pop-up headlights are no longer used? Because if you were to clip a pedestrian and they hit that part of the car, it would be very dangerous. It's not as simple as just drawing up a car and making it. The costs of materials also influences design. Again, Hondas are bubbly and rounded because of crash safety standards. They need to be bigger. You can't just make a 1980s Accord again because to get the same shape would require expensive materials.
[QUOTE=Edthefirst;32739301]Why do you think pop-up headlights are no longer used?[/QUOTE]because it was a fad that fell out of favor for cheaper and more reliable systems [editline]11th October 2011[/editline] I used to drive a Toyota with pop up headlights and one got stuck in the down position, I had it held up with a stick and some duct tape. it looked damn cool but it was just another part that could fail, and it was pretty expensive compared to static lights
[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;32739324]because it was a fad that fell out of favor for cheaper and more reliable systems[/QUOTE] [quote=Wikipedia]US laws now permit aerodynamic headlamps, relative to which hidden headlamps represent added cost, weight, and complexity as well as reliability concerns as cars age. Internationalized ECE auto safety regulations have also recently incorporated pedestrian-protection provisions restricting protuberances from car bodies, making it more difficult and expensive to design compliant pop-up headlamps.[/quote]
the main reason they were used is because there was a law in the US restricting aerodynamic headlights because of their lower location on the car, but the law was repealed sometime in either the 80's or 90's and they fell out of vogue
Best college graduation gift. EVER.
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