Round 12: Safety
It used to be that some sports and performance cars had a reputation for being deathtraps, but those days are long gone. Still, a safer car will give Chris some peace of mind in the unlikely event that things go badly wrong.
Safest: Busan Pegasus Coupe (64.8)
The twin-turbo retro cheese wedge (as Chris calls it) takes top marks here - despite only having Standard 2020s safety, its stout chassis and high curb weight (which also happens to be the heaviest of the bunch) makes it the safest car in the event of a crash.
Least safe: DAW Corsica Mojarra (40.6)
The DAW, on the other hand, gets the wooden spoon, mainly due to its small size and light weight - lighter than any other car, in fact. Then again, its safety suite is far more primitive compared to those in the newest cars here.
Safety rankings
1st: Busan Pegasus Coupe (64.8/2.00pts) - This is the heaviest car here, and the only one with standard 2020s safety tech at minimum, hence its best-in-class score.
2nd: Yajirushi 290 CTC (63.1/1.86pts) - For something of its kind, it packs in one of the most advanced safety suites that any car from the '90s could’ve had, on an advanced high-strength steel chassis.
3rd: Gipfe CS40Dti (61/1.69pts) - Built on a robust alloy semi-spaceframe, its safety suite may only be a mid-range standard system from the 2010s, but it’s enough to put it on the podium.
4th: Zephorus Grimsel (58.6/1.49pts) - A rare example of a 90s supercar/hypercar built on an AHS steel monocoque. Safety kit is otherwise average for the era, but it should still be sufficient for most.
5th:Knightwick Goodwood Coupe (57.5/1.4pts) - Although small and light for a 2010s car, it uses the same material combination as the Grimsel, which explains why the Goodwood squeaks into the top 5.
6th: Ayatsuji Myosotis GSR Spec-V (57.4/1.39pts) - It nearly ties the Goodwood in terms of safety, only finishing behind because its safety tech is not quite as advanced (in absolute terms) and it also has to accommodate a +2 rear row.
7th: Primus Legacy SV500 (56.8/1.34pts) - A galvanized steel chassis may not be an engineer’s first choice when safety is a priority, but the Legacy’s size and advanced safety suite (for its time) make it one of the better options if you were unfortunate enough to end up in a ditch or lodged in a tree.
8th: Aero Flow (56.5/1.31pts) - Its AHS steel spaceframe, clad in alloy bodywork, may not be as stiff as a monocoque, but it should still provide plenty of protection for both occupants, especially with its cutting-edge safety systems.
9th: Lepus GT (55.5/1.23pts) - A bonded aluminum chassis may not be quite as safe as an AHS steel monocoque of the same model year and quality level, but it’s a lot lighter, and the fact that it has the most comprehensive set of safety gear fitted as standard (for its time, anyway) makes it surprisingly tough.
10th: Mara Paragon 4.0 KSE (53.3/1.05pts) - Despite being marked down for being a convertible, the Paragon’s stout AHS steel chassis helps put it into the top 10.
11th: Wells Sidewinder SS (53.1/1.03pts) - The Sidewinder nearly matches the Paragon on account of having a fixed roof, even though it only has a galvanized steel chassis.
12th: Rocket Venus (51.6/0.91pts) - Having one of the most advanced safety suites for its time ensures that, despite its small size, the Rocket Venus is not as much of a deathtrap as you think.
13th: Kato Celeritas (51.0/0.86pts) - It may only have a typical standard safety suite (for the era), but its corrosion-resistant steel chassis with partial aluminum bodywork is quite tough.
14th: Winchester Warrior (50.3/0.8pts) - The only car with fiberglass panels, but even with their inherent safety penalty, it still avoids a bottom-5 finish with its well-built advanced safety kit and extra sound-deadening.
15th: Norrsken Esox R (49.8/0.76pts) - The oldest car here, which hinders it in the safety stakes, but with advanced safety kit (including a driver’s side airbag - hot stuff for '82), it too avoids falling into the bottom five.
16th: Oryu Destriero GTS (49.0/0.69pts) - It finishes slightly behind the Esox for only having standard safety for its era in a smaller, lighter car, but things could be worse.
17th: Nordwagen Loki S-8x4 (45.3/0.39pts) - An unusually poor showing by the otherwise front-running Loki, but in retrospect, this is quite unsurprising due to the Loki’s very small body and more primitive standard safety suite compared to the Destriero’s.
18th: Quix Discopop 1.7 AWD (43.2/0.21pts) - Having aluminum panels on a galvanized steel frame may keep this minivan’s weight down, but it also compromises its overall safety rating.
19th: Strenus Sylphide HT4 (42.5/0.16pts) - The only other car from the 80s apart from the Esox, but its safety rating takes a hit due to only having a standard safety suite in a smaller, lighter body.
20th: DAW Corsica Mojarra (40.6/0pts) - It’s not just its small size and unusually light weight that place it at the bottom of the safety leaderboard; its galvanized steel chassis and standard safety suite mark it down even further.
Standings after Round 12
1st: Gipfe CS40DTi (61.76pts)
2nd: Zephorus Grimsel (59.15pts)
3rd: Nordwagen Loki S-8x4 (55.06pts)
4th: Rocket Venus (53.55pts)
5th: Primus Legacy SV500 (47.49pts)
6th: Winchester Warrior (37.13pts)
7th: Busan Pegasus Coupe (36.72pts)
8th: Strenus Sylphide HT4 (35.12pts)
9th: Wells Sidewinder SS (34.16pts)
10th: Knightwick Goodwood Coupe (33.59pts)
11th: Yajirushi 290 CTC (25.37pts)
12th: Aero Flow (23.17pts)
13th: Lepus GT (21.32pts)
14th: Ayatsuji Myosotis GSR Spec-V (18.92pts)
15th: DAW Corsica Mojarra (18.67pts)
16th: Oryu Destriero GTS (17.25pts)
17th: Mara Paragon 4.0 KSE (14.06pts)
18th: Kato Celeritas (10.01pts)
19th: Norrsken Esox R (6.45pts)
20th: Quix Discopop 1.7 AWD (3.39pts)
