First Car to have Moulded Plastic Bumpers?
Discussion
Driving to work this morning, got to thinking about modern car design and most cars, from supercar down to boring family runabout tend to sport body coloured, or at least plastic moulded bumpers that fit in with the lines of the car.
About 30-40 years ago, cars tended to sport variations on metal bumpers, covered in chrome, or paint and they would usually fit onto brackets front and rear and were separate from the bodywork itself.
What I am wondering is - what was the first car to sport the moulded bumper look?
Take for example Cavaliers, the mk1 had the metal bumpers, the mk2 had grey plastic, still separate but more along the shape of the bodywork, the mk3 was getting towards current trends with body coloured bumpers.
Anyone care to suggest what the first car was?
About 30-40 years ago, cars tended to sport variations on metal bumpers, covered in chrome, or paint and they would usually fit onto brackets front and rear and were separate from the bodywork itself.
What I am wondering is - what was the first car to sport the moulded bumper look?
Take for example Cavaliers, the mk1 had the metal bumpers, the mk2 had grey plastic, still separate but more along the shape of the bodywork, the mk3 was getting towards current trends with body coloured bumpers.
Anyone care to suggest what the first car was?
qube_TA said:
internet says the 1966 Lotus Elan.
Doubt it. The US low speed impact requirements didn't come into force until 1970s."49CFR Part 581, the Department of Transportation's bumper standard, defines performance requirements for passenger cars only. The primary intent of the standard is to reduce physical damage from low-impact collisions, not to reduce passenger injury. Bumper regulations are designed to protect cooling, fuel or exhaust system components as well as safety-related components such as parking lights, headlights and taillights. Pickup trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles are not covered by the standard because of the potential impact to commercial or off-road performance.
"Speed Requirement. The bumper standard sets speed requirements for front and rear car bumpers. Requirements have changed four times since the standard was first issued in 1971; they vary according to a car's model year. From 1972 until 1978, the standard required no collision damage to headlamps and fuel systems at 5 mph for front bumpers and 2.5 mph for rear bumpers. For 1979, the Phase I standard prohibited any damage to safety-related parts and exterior vehicle surfaces at 5 mph, but did not limit damage to the bumper system. Cars bumpers manufactured between 1980 and 1982 had to withstand a 5-mph impact with no safety system damage and no damage to the bumper exceeding a 3/8-inch dent and no more than 3/4-inch displacement, a requirement referred to as Phase II. Starting in 1983, impact speeds were lowered to 2.5 mph for front and rear collisions and 1.5 mph for corner impacts, and Phase I damage criteria was reinstated.
"Height Requirement. The DOT's bumper standard requires impact protection in the region 16 to 20 inches above the driving surface. This requirement applies to passenger cars only. Pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans are not covered because their bumper height varies depending on the clearance they need to operate appropriately."
IIRC the Maestro was the first car launched with painted plastic bumpers as BL wanted it to look modern despite the fact that it was an almost 10 year old design. I also seem to recall that the technology to make the paint stick to the plastic wasn't quite there, resulting in early cars needing resprays early in life.
Alfa numeric said:
IIRC the Maestro was the first car launched with painted plastic bumpers as BL wanted it to look modern despite the fact that it was an almost 10 year old design. I also seem to recall that the technology to make the paint stick to the plastic wasn't quite there, resulting in early cars needing resprays early in life.
I was right- and wrong.AROnline said:
Towards the end of the development programme, the strategists knew that the Maestro was already quite dated and very conventional in its execution, they wanted to give the range something of a fillip by launching it with a couple of firsts.
The first involved the usage of body-coloured bumpers – something that Porsche had done beforehand with the 928, but was still a novelty in the family car class. Unlike the coloured plastic used on the Citroën BX bumpers, the Maestro's were made from a new type of Bokan plastic which was treated specially so that they could be painted at the same time as the rest of the body. The first few Maestros suffered because the treatment had not been perfected at the time of launch and so were prone to cracking at the slightest impact, especially in the cold weather.
The first involved the usage of body-coloured bumpers – something that Porsche had done beforehand with the 928, but was still a novelty in the family car class. Unlike the coloured plastic used on the Citroën BX bumpers, the Maestro's were made from a new type of Bokan plastic which was treated specially so that they could be painted at the same time as the rest of the body. The first few Maestros suffered because the treatment had not been perfected at the time of launch and so were prone to cracking at the slightest impact, especially in the cold weather.
Hi everyone(longtime lurker).It was the Renault 5.
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