I came across this delightful 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Type LT recently and I've forgotten just how damn good-looking these "early" second generation Camaro's were. Reason for that is that the 1970-1973 Camaro's weren't encumbered with those infernal five-mile per hour "safety-bumpers" that blighted any new automobile sold in America come model year 1974.
Legislation passed in 1971 required all new cars sold in the United States by 1974 be able to withstand a five-mile per hour impact without incurring so much damage that their drive-ability would be adversely affected. Five-miles per hour may sound pretty fast and, indeed, it is. The mandate was rolled back to the "global-standard" of two and half miles per hour by 1982. Prior to 1973, what with the styling excesses from the 1960's spilling over into the 1970's, cars couldn't withstand much more than a slight tap on what was allegedly a bumper without having to be hauled to a body-shop.
Three-years is certainly not a lot of time and the short time span certainly explains the oft clumsily laid on "safeties" on existing designs; especially on smaller cars. Phasing in began in 1973 although our Type LT here may not appear to have done its homework. Rest assured, behind that chrome bumper is steel-bar reinforcement that enabled these cars to limbo under the federal mandate. That all changed of course come 1974.
Although GM did an admirable job covering up or integrating the safeties into existing designs . I can't think of a single design that benefited aesthetically from them. Then again, they weren't about making cars better looking, it was about making them safer.
I am of the opinion that the safeties were quite effective in providing additional-safety or damage protection. My dreadful and forgettable 1974 Mercury Comet had them and one-time I was rear ended at a stop light and I couldn't believe that my car didn't have a scratch on it. As much as I wanted the turd to be totaled.
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