The structural integrity of our cars...

[Rick Cabell]

With the availability of SWB parts becoming more and more rare, yesterday I purchased this 1966 912 that was in a bad front-end collision two years ago. The driver was 75 years old at the time of the crash and was injured, but not severely. This car only has lap belts.

I asked the driver if he remembers the crash, and not only does he remember the crash, but after the impact (with a tree), he got out and directed traffic...and then passed out cold!

[Howard Lazarus]

I see many goodies on that puppy that are still in great condition.
Congrats!

[RandyWebb]

very interesting

How fast was he going?

Thanks.

[pwd72s]

Thanks for posting Rick. I've often wondered if the inflated spare of the early cars could actually be an aid when it comes to crash time. These pics make me think they very well may be providing additional protection.

[911pcars]

Ouch,
Hits to the corners are highly undesireable, even with front air bags. The suspension gets pushed into the interior (as shown). Not sure the spare is of any help in these cases. Good thing the PO has his memory and other body parts intact.

Sherwood

[roblav]

The only accident I ever had was when I hit a guardrail with the left front corner of my 68 912 Targa, going about 80MPH. My car crumpled just like the pics of this 912. It is designed to absorb energy more slowly than a frame type car, which is good for us drivers. I was NOT wearing a seatbelt (in 1985), and the only thing that happened to me was that my mouth hit the wood Nardi steering wheel and I knocked out a front tooth. I later used the Nardi wheel, after straightening of course, in two other SWB porsches, but a couple months later, I had to get helicoptered from my ship to the Aircraft Carrier in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for dental work. But that's another story...

[e72phil]

looks like a good "fixer -uper".

Good luck.

[RandyWebb]

"Not sure the spare is of any help in these cases."

- No, the pic shows it undisturbed.

There is a thread on the spare issue on Pelican (?), and we never were able to resolve that rumor re its safety aspects, I think. Next time somebody visits Stuttgart, they should ask to meet with the factory archivist...

[Noah]

"Not sure the spare is of any help in these cases."

- No, the pic shows it undisturbed.

There is a thread on the spare issue on Pelican (?), and we never were able to resolve that rumor re its safety aspects, I think. Next time somebody visits Stuttgart, they should ask to meet with the factory archivist...

The spare is undisturbed -- it's incredible, actually. It and the hood emerged in perfect condition. (I was hanging out with RC at the shop today and, truth be told, was the one who took those pics).

If you look underneath this 912, you can see the floor pan pushed back and crumpled like a washboard.

The spare wheel occupies a very small amount of volume in the front of a 911, when you consider that the entire front half of the car will collapse in the course of absorbing the impact of a collision, and the floor pans, roof, and A-pillars also bend and buckle while absorbing the impact.

My armchair guess is that the spare's effect on frontal impact safety is negligible to the point of being irrelevant.

Has anyone ever thought to remove the hood crest, for the sake of maximizing the effectiveness of the front crumple area?

[John Fusco]

I think I remember reading that the spare was an integrel part of the crash protection - but where else could they have put it?

That is an awful clean looking wreck.

John