Widowmakers

[rcjordan]

Neat article. Probably contains slop.

https://www.howtogeek.com/these-are-the-deadliest-widowmaker-cars-ever-built/

I used to rat-race the Healey (very low center of gravity) against rear-engine Porches. Both could hit high mph for street cars of that era but the Porche had more trouble on short, sharp curves.

[ergophobe]

No Corvair? I guess not enough speed to fit the intent of the article

[rcjordan]

>Corvair? I guess not enough speed

Well....

1964 Corvair Monza Spyder Convertible Turbo – Tucson Classic Motor Co
https://tucsonclassics.com/inventory/1964-corvair-monza-spyder-turbo/

Car Museum | 1965 Corvair Corsa Convertible with the optional 180 hp turbo | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1712630748969016/posts/2119681378263949/

My ex-BIL had one of the above convertibles -don't know which model- in the late 60s. It had an OEM-looking dash panel stretching over to the glovebox loaded with an array of compression gauges.  It'd fly.

[ergophobe]

I didn't think of it as a performance car at that HP, but I suppose the weight matters too. It probably didn't have a 2000 pound battery :-)

https://www.lowmanlawfirm.com/blog/11-deadliest-cars-ever-built

[buckworks]

>> 1964 Corvair

When I was a kid my family owned a Corvair. They were notorious for engine fires.

It happened to us, driving home from a friend's cottage at the lake. My brother and I were in the back seat. To this day I remember looking out the back window, seeing flames and hollering to my mom. It took a minute to register but she pulled over and then other cars started to stop. People started picking up gravel from the shoulder and throwing it into the engine compartment in an attempt to smother the flames. My brother and I ended up looking for pretty stones on the shoulder while the adults dealt with the situation. Memory stops there; I don't remember how we got back to Winnipeg.

[rcjordan]

> fire
 When traveling I-95 through South Carolina there is often an uptick in disabled or fiery vehicles on the shoulder.  One was spectacular --just a huge ball of intense flame.  It was on the inner shoulder and the HP was directing traffic to the outer shoulder to pass by. Even over 2 lanes away, I felt the radiant heat on my neck & face through my window glass. I sure didn't hang around to see if the gas tank was gonna blow up.

SC does not require an annual vehicle inspection, which I blame for the increased number of incidents.

=========

>Smother

It's usually a total loss unless you catch it when it's just a carb fire.

========

Once the flames ignite the tires you might as well break out the marshmallows.

[ergophobe]

> spectacular

An RV caught fire on my commute route. I didn't see it, but my co-worker said it was intense. The road had been newly paved at the time and it did considerable damage to the road. It's about 1/4 mile before I turn into my neighborhood and the signs of the fire still mar the road.

[rcjordan]

.

[ergophobe]

Actually, back when cars looked different for any reason at all.

When we first got the Tucson, it was a relatively uncommon car* but I would see it everywhere... then realize I was looking at some other identically shaped, identically colored mid-sized SUV


*the 2023 model was a redesign and hard to get because of lingering supply chain issues - easier than the RAV4, but there were already lots of those on the road.

[rcjordan]

>when cars looked different for any reason

In 1963, while bored at our beach cottage, my older brother & I invented a game where you had to name the model of the car coming toward you  ..at night  ...no streetlights or significant ambient light ...very dark street.  Cars of that era tended to have massive chrome grilles and bumpers. From about a block away, we were looking for headlight placement (ALL were round back then) and glints off the chrome.  I remember this because I was shocked by how good or lucky I was and also because I beat my brother badly.

>some other identically shaped, identically colored mid-sized SUV

We've discussed that before.  There is no design flair anymore, not even in available colors (Fordite must be pretty bland nowadays). 

[Drastic]

SC does not require an annual vehicle inspection, which I blame for the increased number of incidents.

Dude, it's straight up madmax down here some days.

[Travoli]

>SC does not require an annual vehicle inspection

TX removed physical inspections in 2025, but kept the fee to be paid at annual registration.

Mad Max Thunderdome is exactly how I describe driving here. Also, Nissan Altima drivers always have the right of way.

[Travoli]

I'm surprised the Porsche Carerra GT wasn't on the widowmaker list. Took Paul Walker, almost took Jay Leno.

https://carbuzz.com/features/is-the-porsche-carrera-gt-the-most-dangerous-road-car-ever-made/