<VV> carz and lawz

[Bill Elliott]

On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 10:21:03 -0400, Padgett wrote:


>>Even our best "economy" cars carry around nearly 1000lbs of "safety 
>>weight", making them
>>neither cheap  nor economical nor fun to drive. And who was behind 
>>outlawing small light cars? The
>>same folks now complaining about how uneconomical cars are.

>I'd make that more like 150 lbs, fed very quietly backed off the 5 mph 
>barrier crash requirement, is now 2.5 mph.

You are considering only the "active" safety equipment. Compare a car with similar luggage and passenger abilities with it's equivalent prior to 1968 and 
you'll see the 1000lbs.

Mini Cooper in 1967: 1300 lbs
non-US legal Mini Cooper 2000: 1550 lbs
US legal Mini Cooper in 2005: 2315 lbs

Corvair in 1967: 2600 lbs
Opel (UK) 2000: 2400 lbs
Cobalt in 2005: 3200lbs

Ford Mustang 1965: 2700lbs
Mustang 2005: 3300 lbs


Lotus Elite in 1960: 1400 lbs
Lotus Esprit in 1975: 2500lbs

Lotus Elise (UK): 1521 lbs 
Lotus Elise (US): 2000 lbs

Note that modern numbers for the UK also relfect their own safety and crash standards... and all modern cars reflect the advances made in lightweight 
materials... US car weights are still significantly above the cars that meet UK standards. 

Bill