It's probably been seen too many times, but as sad as it was to watch the '59 impala get wadded up by the '09 impala, vehicle structure and safety really have come a long way. Here's a link to the crash test: http://www.koreus.com/video/crash-test-chevrolet.html
It's pretty definitive - thats Rolf Wütherich, his friend/mechanic before he was loaded onto the stretcher.
Old Cars Weekly runs an old car wreck photo feature on a regular basis and they (Krause Publications Bookstore) have several books of these available. Their website shows Best of Auto Wreck Photos and also Crash by John Gunnell.
Yeah kinda aggrivating when people post stuff after 5 guys have already said the same thing.. Shows that they just read the first post and then skip all the other comments and go to the end..
Not a wreck, per se, but this is what happened to my 1950 Hudson Pacemaker coupe when a tornado destroyed my home and shop nearly seven years ago. It was crushed when my shop collapsed on top of it. It was just one day from getting the 308 Twin-H Six stuffed in it! My little Metro coupe, which was sitting next to it, was hardly touched! It got a couple of small dents and had both windshields broken out. The front sheet metal was shifted left 18 inches. The top was creased from the windshield peak all the way to the rear tag bracket. The front door windows were rolled down, so they survived, as did the front windshields! The doors and quarter glasses were fine, as was the interior. It was sold as parts for another '50 in Kansas later on in 2003. This was my first Hudson.
Hey,Grab this book,Twisted Steel,Mangled Bumpers& Shattered Windshields CRASH. Written by John Gunnell Krause Publications 2006 191pgs It will make you cry. They also have a paperback called Vintage Car Wrecks.My wife bought me this at Borders for 12.99. Thanks Fedco
"Honey, I don't know what happened. I was doing my nails and having coffee and writing up my shopping list and talking to Peggy and this, ditch, this god damned storm drain just jumped out....ohhhh, honey..I'm soooo sorry
the car that hit Dean was a '49-'51 Ford coupe that was customized, not a Buick. i ran across some pics here in another post recently of both cars. he was also supposed to have been speeding at the time of the accident as well and had been ticketed not long before the accident. Spencer gifts used to sell a poster of the James Dean wreck along with the speeding ticket he got. pretty weird, but i have it hanging on the garage wall. i have 4 books just on vintage car wrecks Vintage Car Wrecks Herlocher Old Car Wrecks Kowalke Antique Car Wrecks Krause Car Crashes Kilpatrick/Taschen the last book is a bit morbid in that it shows people all mangled and still in the wrecks that killed them or on the ground close by. the pics are all black and white which seems to make them a little less graphic than if they had been color. i think this is the same book mentioned above with the foot by the railroad track. the only picture that bothers me is the one showing a baby laying on the ground with it's mother next to it. it's not a book for the faint of heart or those with weak stomachs. Dave
Here's some I have. All are from around here in West Virginia. I have more I may post later. Check out the old Hotrod...
In the James Dean pics, looks like that Rolf guy is in a hole, I keep looking at the two angles... I don't get it.
SEAT BELTS SAVED THE FOLKS IN THIS CRASH. Happened in 2009, he was hit head on by by an F150 I believe.
The Jalopy Journal
