faster than a SS

[Danglerb]

Much of it goes back to 1974 and 5 mph crash bumpers.

[davetr]

farm truck is cool .... lol 502 and a big bottle

[hbueno]

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Much of it goes back to 1974 and 5 mph crash bumpers.

I believe an argument can be made for safety features:

Crash Test 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air VS. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu (Frontal Offset) IIHS 50th Anniversary - YouTube

The weight of the structure required to withstand the type of impact in the video is substantial. However, modern cars also have way more "stuff" - N-way power seats w/heating and cooling), cameras, sound deadening, thicker glass, large diameter wheels, etc etc.

Hugo