Built 35 years ago by the U.S. government, the Minicar Research Safety Vehicle was designed to be the safest automobile on the road.
Fourteen of the Mini RSVs were built during the Carter administration. The RSV’s fenders and front fascia were plastic composites that could take a 10-mph crash without denting. The RSVs front seats were attached to the roof with a see-through plastic shield in order to percent them from collapsing during a rear-end collision. The unique cars also featured run-flat tires, anti-lock brakes with crash-sensing radar, and dual-stage airbags.
Bonanza’s Lorne Greene even filmed a public service announcement for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to promote the RSV’s safety features.
Despite the RSV’s then-cutting edge technology, production of the vehicles came to an abrupt end in early 1981. Most of the remaining RSVs were stored in the Department of Transportation’s basement until 1990. The Smithsonian wanted the RSV cars (they did), but the NHTSA had already requested that the remaining cars be destroyed.
But a couple of the RSVs weren’t destroyed.
When the RSV program ended in 1981, two of the Minicars were in the shop; one mostly built, the other without an engine. Those cars were stored and ignored until a California man bought them in 1996. Last year, it was revealed that that the Minicars still existed, and the agency paid for a refurbish. The one intact Minicar needs a water pump, but otherwise runs.
To read more about the Minicar RSV, go here.
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