Thursday, July 11, 2024

1957 Aurora Safety Car




Father Alfred Juliano was a Catholic priest. Members of his parish donated money to finance his idea of building the world's safest car. He started with a 1953 Buick chassis and built a plywood superstructure which he covered in fiberglass and fitted with plastic windows.

Safety considerations included a roll cage with side impact bars, seat belts, padded dash and a collapsible steering column, The spare tire was mounted in the front to absorb impacts. The seats were designed so as to swivel 180 degrees to face backwards if a collision was imminent.

The car had been sitting idle for four years during fabrication and broke down numerous times on the trip to NYC for the reveal. The project went bankrupt and the car sat for decades behind a garage that was owed money for their work on the car. It was eventually purchased by an auto enthusiast and restored. The car is occasionally displayed at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire, England.
 

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