Thursday Twister: Neck Chopping Belts
Welcome back another edition of the Thursday Twister,
DT’s weekly quiz show where the questions make about as much sense to the average reader as a Siberian phone book. Today we’re going to build a list of cars featuring autotragic seat belts, yes – those hated things that always seemed to be in the way and probably prompted more frustration based suicides than lives saved.
In 1977, the Secretary of the Transportation in the Carter Administration created a mandate that by 1983 all cars would have either air bags or automatically deployed seat belts. Of course politics got in the way and it wasn’t until 1987-1990 that passive safety restraints were required in vehicles. The funky automatic seat belts were cheaper than the exploding face shredders, so many OEMs (such as Toyota in the above 1990 Cressida) added them.
Find the automatic belts.
Standard contest rules are as follows:
1. Only one OEM per comment (be sure to hit the refresh button on your
browser before you post in case someone else has posted since you loaded
the page). Do not nest the replies, just reply to the main post — if
you reply to someone elses comment it should be in reference to his
comment and not another submission.
2. You can post again, but only after someone else posts another car. (Rule 2 Abrogated for the summer.)
3. The contest will end in on Sunday, July 26th, 2015.
4. One submission per make/model.
5. Each car must be for a company that created running/driving cars (no clay model prototypes) and
at least two must have been built (no one-offs).
6. No anonymous submissions — pick a name with the Name/URL dropdown.
Ready….Set…click, whirrrrr, clack!!
Prelude, Starion/Conquest, Civic, 626, Ford Escort/Mercury Tracer?
Who is this and why are you impersonating my pal?
I'm not your pal, buddy.
youtube.com/watch?v=-5uzJVkeaUI
Too late. You are. Sorry about your speech impediment.
Forgot to ask; have you talked to Stan lately?
1989 Ford Tempo AWD
There were two flavors, the motorized belts and the ones attached to the door.
On the motorized-belt front I'll nominate the '89-at least '91 Thunderbird/Cougar.
Two of my favorites from the era:
[img] corradoworld.com/registry/pictures/70594/1994_Volkswagen_Corrado_SLC_Red_Michael_Callahan_001.jpg[/img]
[img] i42.photobucket.com/albums/e301/skidad62/Old%20bikes%20and%20cars/1750175_1_zps018a8af2.jpg[/img]
Mitsubishi Mirage / Colt / Summit third gen
Subaru Legacy SS Turbo
[img] i19.photobucket.com/albums/b162/s383mmber1/BC62.jpg[/img]
S13 Nissan 240SX.
2nd generation Integra:
[IMG] i44.tinypic.com/2e6dmdz.jpg[/IMG]
Mazda MX-6
[img] dudazps6njn84.cloudfront.net/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/IdcAAOSwq7JT2p1I/$_1.JPG[/img]
Series 5 FC RX-7
[IMG] i48.tinypic.com/2j131fm.jpg[/IMG]
1990-1991 Honda Civic and Accord
Apparently the 1975 VW Rabbit:
[img] texastriallawyer.com/images/automatic_seat_belt_1.gif[/img]
Read all about it on this Texas lawsuit page:
Oh, those. I remember that. Yeah, was horrible, but then were pretty much all the other door-mount belts.
Was it in ALL '75 Rabbits? I don't recall that, but if so would account for why you never find one anymore.
Isuzu Impulse Turbo: handling by Lotus, choking handled by the government
s66.photobucket.com/user/ricvonhelms/media/2316780071_large_zps319428c0.jpg.html
Ye Olde Subaru SVX –
[img] curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/CC-95-030-800.jpg[/img]
Wow, that one is tastefully equipped.
LMAO—I was too fixated on the Madonna Like-a-virgin era fashion accessories on the mirror to notice the nice sticker by the shifter. That would be fun to explain to grandma on the way to bingo.
Nah, grandma'd be down.
Nice snatch, uh, catch there.
Considering the sticker, that's a strange indentation in the seat.
Various late '80s early '90s generations of Escort, the screwed-up version of the Euro Ford had door-mount belts I think, the cheapened Mazda 323 had motorized belts.
Ford Probe.
Nissan Maxima
1st gen eclipse
Early 90's Infiniti G20
This comment has been removed by the author.
1988 Jaguar XJ-S V12 – Pair a surprisingly strong motor with an ignition switch with loose contacts in the off to I position – this threatened to garrote you once or twice before you had a chance to turn the key:
[img] i.imgur.com/6Y5M1oCl.jpg[/img]
I seem to remember this on my buddy's '95 Saturn SL1
The US Ford Escort was mentioned, but not the decapitations that resulted from it…
My Friends parents had a Sterling with those. The drive-train was something from an Acura, the electronics were British. That worked out about as well as you'd think.
They didn't go Rover too well, that's for sure.
So your driving Cate Jenners car i guess ?
This comment has been removed by the author.
I'm going to stick to the rules…but I'm gonna bend them like a politician would, too. Here are some more "automatic belts", as requested.
Audi A5
[img] i.imgur.com/6W5n0cb.jpg[/img]
nope
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe
[img] i.imgur.com/9ib5Vp6.jpg?1[/img]
nope
BMW 335i
[img] i.imgur.com/S7Nt3Uq.jpg?1[/img]
nope
Mercedes-Benz 300CE
[img] i.imgur.com/erg3kcU.jpg?1[/img]
Same as the E320 below. Motorized assist for a coupe isn't the same as the "motorized mouse" passive restraints (nor did Mercedes need the passive restraints, as they had airbags before the rule took place!)
Mercedes-Benz E320
[img] i.imgur.com/8S6itjd.jpg?1[/img]
Gonna have to DQ that one, doesn't motor on up to the A pillar, hoss.
Did you not read what I wrote above? Also, where is that specified in the original text, Oh Judge and Jury Who Nary Contributed? You've technically contributed one vehicle here, as your second suggestion (which I did not steal but is up for grabs) is null and void as per rule number 1.
The original copy read, "Find the automatic belts." This I have done. Don't be jealous, nor a pooper of parties. So consider your nanny-nanny-boo-boo comments shot down.
Sincerely,
youtube.com/watch?v=qF2TObylGMk
"Today we're going to build a list of cars featuring autotragic seat belts, yes – those hated things that always seemed to be in the way and probably prompted more frustration based suicides than lives saved."
They're building a list of the belts mandated by the 1987-1990 passive belt safety requirement….it's right their in the lead-in, homie. If you just do any seatbelt that has a motor, I could post every luxury car ever that had automatic shoulder height adjustment based on seat position—-don't worry though, I'm not.
Peugeot 405 Mi16
youtube.com/watch?v=ND34pJwaifI
Mazda 929
[img] i.imgur.com/J598TY4.jpg?1[/img]
A nicer image.
[img] i.imgur.com/hitYS69.jpg?1[/img]
Mitsubishi Galant
[img] i.imgur.com/gZBba8Q.jpg?1[/img]
Toyota Camry
[img] i.imgur.com/eqByKkQ.jpg?1[/img]
Jaguar XJ6
[img] i.imgur.com/o86ZnvT.jpg?1[/img]
Ford Festiva
[img] i.imgur.com/mbyb3TK.jpg?1[/img]
Mazda 626
[img] i.imgur.com/zwSryz5.jpg?1[/img]
Loophole advantage; rule number 1 not adhered to above. Words are confusing sometimes, I know; your loss.
Sterling
[img] i.imgur.com/c0CL2qK.jpg?1[/img]
Oops. Forgot Sterling was already specified…which is not a model. So, I give you the 827! Pictured above.
Saab 900
[img] i.imgur.com/pIFb8nv.jpg?1[/img]
Ferrari F40
[img] i.imgur.com/4ZFs3mV.jpg?1[/img]
Buh-bam, Van Damme.
Pontiac LeMans
[img] i.imgur.com/qiqQqj8.jpg?1[/img]
Mazda Protege
[img] i.imgur.com/lQtlNOS.jpg?1[/img]
Despite FTB's carping, this is an automatic belt; Buick Cascada
[img] i.imgur.com/aHCbX20.jpg?1[/img]
It's automatic, it's just not a passive safety restraint.
Mazda 323
[img] i.imgur.com/fwe8fVf.jpg?1[/img]
Nissan Axxess
[img] i.imgur.com/zTUyVr3.jpg?1[/img]
1st gen talon/eclipse/laser
1990-ish Accord
[img] i85.photobucket.com/albums/k48/Troggie42/interior.jpg[/img]
Topaz
{img] curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Topaz-6.jpg[/img}
[img] curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Topaz-6.jpg[/img]
Nissan Sentra
[img] studiofindit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1990-Nissan-Sentra-XE_5-1024×768.jpg[/img]
and just in case we're counting the ones that attached to the doors,
[img] rustybuttrusty.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/1991-peugeot-505-dl-wagon-interior.jpg[/img]
should have mentioned—^^^ Peugeot 505
Last gen Nissan Stanza/ first year Nissan Altima