Unsafe at Any Speed

[grober]

Obligatory info for our younger forum members perhaps about the "bad old days" Worth a listen its only 10 minutes long.

BBC World Service - Witness, Car Safety and Ralph Nader

The first generation much maligned Chevy Corvair criticised for its lack of a front anti roll bar and swing axle rear suspension- Later versions had better IRS but by that time adverse publicity had effectively done for it.

 

[rifiki]

Ralph Nader did not have a driving licence at the time.

 

[grober]

Classic! General Motors spent $10,000 trying to prove he didn't have a driving licence so they could then label him as "Un-American" When you realise how easy it was back then in the USA to get your drivers licence at 16 [ You basically had to be able to get in a car and drive it round the block and park up in most states ] and how it was almost obligatory proof of age/id for all young people for that very reason it would have been highly unlikely in the first place.
He did sell his Studebaker to prevent any accusation of bias against any particular make of car. Corporate America will stop at nothing if they see someone as a commercial threat and they even hired prostitutes on two occassions in attempts to discredit him/ sully his reputation.

 

[Tmc]

Ralph Nader did not have a driving licence at the time.

Yes, the book is useless. Plenty of background on it online and why Nader changed his target to GM.

 

[grober]

Yes, the book is useless. Plenty of background on it online and why Nader changed his target to GM.

So useless that as a best seller in nonfiction in the USA of Spring 1966 it helped spur the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966, the country’s first significant automobile safety legislation. and promoted the passage of the mandatory wearing/fitment of seat-belts [ albeit lap belts initially? ] in 49 states (all but New Hampshire) and a number of other road-safety initiatives.
Sorry to introduce an element of historical fact into the discussion.

 

[french]

The Sunbeam Stilletto/Hilman Imp was based on the Covair.

 

[grober]

Almost a straight styling lift in many ways but different in many others!

It also had a chequered start with slightly positive camber on the front wheels- allegedly to achieve the correct headlight height in some markets or possibly to achieve greater airflow under the car for cooling the rear engine! This was rectified in later models.
front suspension!
Suspension, Dampers & Steering - The Imp Site