Re: What car is this?

[ScharfR@aol.com]

In a message dated 96-04-06 23:43:46 EST, linust@interramp.com (Linus D. Toy)
writes:

> could the addition
>of the turbo make that much difference in crash-testing?  

It wouldn't have been just the turbo.  The transmission would have been
different, body structure likely reinforced, who knows what else. A
model-specific crash test would have been required in the judgement of most
(but perhaps not all) automotive engineering departments.

Here is an example of where engineering judgement can go wrong. Smaller
changes than what we are discussing were passed through by BMW on the
3-Series, apparently without a crash test to validate the changes. Result?
When the U.S. government performed a random compliance test for 30 mph crash
(30, not 35) the Bimmers failed. That is a mighty serious offence and
prompted a most costly and embarassing recall of a huge number of 3-Series
cars about 18 months ago.