Gooding & Company will display three collector cars, including this 1992 Porsche 964 Carrera, at an art exhibit presented by Christie’s in Manhattan. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s Headlines:
+ Ford will invest $1 billion in its Chicago Stamping and Chicago Assembly plants to build the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and Police Interceptor Utility, adding 500 jobs. More at The Detroit News.
+ Daimler cut its dividend after fourth-quarter operating profit plunged 22 percent, hit by trade wars, rising costs for electric car development, and the industry downturn. More at Reuters.
+ Nissan management is reportedly resisting a plan to place Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Senard in the same role at Nissan to head both companies in the alliance. More at Bloomberg.com.
+ The Haas Formula 1 team is the first to reveal images of its 2019 car, unveiling a black-and-gold paint and graphics scheme to represent its new title sponsor, Rich Energy. More at Motorsport.com.
+ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley says the company is still considering a midsized pickup that would be sold as a Ram in America and as a Fiat in other markets. More at Motor Trend.
+ Following its introduction at the Chicago Auto Show, the 30th anniversary edition Mazda MX-5 Miata sold out all 500 copies allocated to the USA in four hours. More at Autoblog.
+ The administrators of collector car dealer JD Classics have sued the company’s founder for $82.9 million, charging that booked vehicle values were fraudulently inflated. More at UK Autocar.
+ Jaguar Land Rover has posted a $4.4 billion (£3.4 billion) quarterly loss after it took a big one-time write-down in the value of its cars and plants. More at Automotive News Europe.
+ Gooding & Company will display three collector cars from its Amelia Island sale at an art exhibit presented by Christie’s at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. More at Classic Cars.com Journal.
+ Dr. Robert Hubbard, who developed the HANS head and neck restraint with IMSA racer Jim Downing, saving the lives of countless race drivers, has passed away at 75. More at Road & Track.
Review the previous Executive Briefing from February 4 here.
Photo courtesy of Gooding & Company.
Have you joined Mac’s Motor City Garage on Facebook? It’s lots of fun with rare photos, lore, trivia, and great discussions. Click here to go the page and join MCG. Be sure to check out our companion Facebook group MOTOROLOGY, too.
HANS device has saved the lives of countless race drivers?? In reality very few. Better cars and better seats has saved many lives.
The HANS restricts movement and in worse case can hurt drivers. Especially in a fire situation.
The simple foam neckbrace does the same job in the vast majority of accidents. Often better.
When HANS is worn loose so drivers can actually see what and where they are going they are next to useless. $500 waste of money!! Plus the HANS belts that bring 3″ harness back to 2 inch. And yet another cost. Most use 3″ belts which do not work properly with the HANS designed?? for 2″ belts. And with whatever belts shoulder and collarbone injuries in a moderate accident.
In the last decade most of the ‘safety’ gear required are generally a waste of time and money. And cause accidents!
As a former driver, then tech inspector, and crash investigation team member, I could look you in the face and tell you, you are full of it. Your “facts” are fantasy.
A foam neck collar in the type of frontal impact that the HANS and the R3 developed by Trevor Ashline, were made for, the collar is a danger. If made with high enough density foam to have any affect, the chin protection area of a full face helmet creates a pivot point that allows the back of the head to “lever up” and do exactly what you think it prevents, and at lower impact speeds.
I don’t know where you got your info from, but the HANS and the R3 work quite well with 3″ harnesses. The R3 would work with even wider harnesses.
The fallacy most people believe is that these restraints are to stop the head snapping forward isn’t even the case. It is to keep the head, neck, and spine in alignment. Even if the harness belts stretch in an impact, the maintained alignment is key.
My preference would be the R3 because it doesn’t rely on the harness belts to stay in place. So if after the first impact the HANS, although unlikely, but possible, were to slip out from under the harness, the R3 would still be in the same place, in case of multiple impacts. Plus you “wear” they R3 more than you put it in place. And in the test data I’ve seen, and feed back from drivers that use the R3, it creates no extra obstruction getting in our out of the car, while wearing it, and a helmet.
I used to think like you until I saw, up close, reeeeally close, the effects of wearing a restraint, and not. It’s not pretty.
You can never measure how many lives and paralysis victims the devices would save, but you can always tell which ones they would have increased the chances of a better outcome had they been used. Sure, full containment seats also are a Godsend, but one without the other, isn’t much better than not having it at all. I don’t know where you gots your “data” from but mine came from the data sheets, the crash test videos, the SFI testing, and from drivers themselves.