Discussion
This is a guess - but it maybe related as stated above to the impact bumper laws in US - these require all cars to withstand a 5mph (?) impact without any damage to the car. I think this is the legislation that led to Saab and Porsche having the "bellows" in the bumpers in the 70s. I suspect that the reason why newer cars use the "soft bumper bits" next to the number plate is that this is the simplest way to meet this daft US legislation without major changes to the design of the fully smoothed colour coded integrated bumper designs.
Edited by ///ajd on Saturday 28th April 18:54
adam b said:
///ajd said:
This is a guess - but it maybe related as stated above to the impact bumper laws in US -
correct, has ruined the looks of many a nice car
True. Check out things like US versions of the E24 BMW 6-series. Yuk. I find it far more disheartening, though, to note that the Americans are now getting things like the GT3RS at all, as evidenced by the picture above. I can't quite articulate why I find this dismaying, but I do a bit. Totally unfairly, granted - I know there's no shortage of die-hard car nuts on the other side of the Atlantic, but... Boooo. I always sort of liked the idea that we got to keep all the 'hard' stuff to ourselves. Most of the desirable, rare and expensive classic gear makes its way there eventually, hoovered up as it is by wealthy US collectors. It was sort of comforting to have all the nicest gear to ourselves for a bit whilst it was new, and before it became too expensive for us to hang on to. Nothing against Americans at all.... but still...
loach said:
adam b said:
///ajd said:
This is a guess - but it maybe related as stated above to the impact bumper laws in US -
correct, has ruined the looks of many a nice car
True. Check out things like US versions of the E24 BMW 6-series. Yuk. I find it far more disheartening, though, to note that the Americans are now getting things like the GT3RS at all, as evidenced by the picture above. I can't quite articulate why I find this dismaying, but I do a bit. Totally unfairly, granted - I know there's no shortage of die-hard car nuts on the other side of the Atlantic, but... Boooo. I always sort of liked the idea that we got to keep all the 'hard' stuff to ourselves. Most of the desirable, rare and expensive classic gear makes its way there eventually, hoovered up as it is by wealthy US collectors. It was sort of comforting to have all the nicest gear to ourselves for a bit whilst it was new, and before it became too expensive for us to hang on to. Nothing against Americans at all.... but still...
i find it quite funny really
pork builds a high performance lightweight gt3, spending lots of cash in the process shaving weight here and there only then for the car to be exported to the USA to be driven by fat men called hank and earl
welshnobby said:
...it's just a futile addition anyway as the 5mph impact that the yanks may encounter in a gt3rs will be with a f@ck off gas guzzling 3tonne SUV/pickup...so by my reckoning they have placed the impact bumpers 3ft too low 
very true - I remember being told the law was actually introduced/designed to help protect car owners from having to pay expensive repair bills from small minor impacts (is this right?) - if so, as you say, the result in this case will be that a hugh SUV will actually miss the "bumpers" and smash up your nice carbon GT3RS spoiler - which costs heaven knows what - $4k?? Not really in the spirit of what the law was trying to achieve!!!
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