There were airbags in 1970s police cars?

@Dronz First Airbag was installed in 1971, sold to the public in 73. I have no idea whether cop cars had them, but over 18,000 US police jurisdictions, it seems likely someone would've bought a fleet of cars with them.

Well that's why I don't think of those old cars as muscle cars.

I feel so deflated now... I always thought those 70's "muscle cars" had more politically incorrect grunt than modern cars, but had been replaced by more efficient but less excessive technology... but no. sniff...

I think top speed and handling is more important that acceleration.

Are you sure Toyota Camrys arent just awesome? What about a Honda Civic or a Lancer? Also since when do soccer moms drive anything but vans?

@Nacht A quick Google search puts the base 2020 Civic trim at 8.2, but the Si trim clocks in at 6.5. The Camry is definitely one of the snappiest "normal" sedans off the line, but the times Ash mentioned put 1970s as strong competitors in the category of "random 2020 commuter sedans." Any 2020 car that actually brags about its performance is going to drive circles around the antiques.

0-100Km is bad in 1970's cars because the tyres were rubbish back then. If you look at Quarter mile time 1970 454 Corvette runs 13.8. 2020 camry Xse runs 14.4. Of course if there are any corners in the first quarter mile of the chase the Toyota wins

@Acccumulation 70s muscle cars aren't exactly known for their handling. Or in some sense they are, but only in that they're famously unwilling to change direction in a hurry.

Re the "Toyota Camry", I was briefly excited on my first business trip to the States when my hire car was a 3-litre V6 Taurus. Then I got it out of the parking lot. Turns out the acceleration, handling, everything on a 3l V6 Taurus was significantly worse to a 1.4l Peugeot 309. American cars are fundamentally armchairs designed to go across long distances, for a nation who mostly do not enjoy driving as an activity in its own right. Sometimes they look cool. Rarely do they perform in any way a European would recognise as driving well.

I didn't see anything in the linked article about overpowered airbags being responsible for >100 deaths. They only focus on stats from 1992-1997, and find no interaction between seatbelt use and airbag deployment in terms of effect on mortality. I don't quite follow how wearing a seatbelt might make an airbag more deadly - no matter how you slice it, the seatbelt will only reduce the impact between the airbag and your head.

@Graham it varies wildly by car. But a Taurus is pretty far towards the "armchair" end, and I'm not sure why you expected it to be a performance car.

@fectin I saw "3l V6". Over here, that's the kind of engine you have in a sports car. :)

@Graham Oh. No, you can probably get decent straight-line acceleration out of it after loading in half a ton of people and gear, but it's never going to be sporty. Sorry :(

@Graham: But here in the US, you are more likely to have a 1.8l inline 4 in your sports car - the Mazda Miata being by far the most common sports car in the US: mossmiata.com/miata-2002

The story is set mid-2000s, not mid-2020s. The comparison with 2020 sedans isn't useful or fair.

After 1975, new cars in the US were required to have catalytic converters, which were incompatible with leaded gas. Leaded gas was still sold for use in older vehicles until January 1, 1996, when it was banned. Muscle cars made in 1975 or after would not have a problem with modern gasoline. Many made before 1975 would not have a problem either, but there is no guarantee.

I just wanted to throw out that 1970s police cars were usually specced with the largest engines available and heavy-duty suspension. Using a "typical" equivalent consumer model probably isn't representative of the actual performance available in a "police special" model.