And more...

I wonder if they actually learn anything at those speeds. Assume they must or they wouldn't do it. Be interesting to know what it might be.

Might be something relevant to countries where they have high speed roadways, but honestly, I doubt there's a car out there that could maintain any sort of integrity in the driver area for such a catastrophic stop. Most of the vehicles in the second video just disintegrate.

Heck of a thing to have on the resume though... "I fuck up cars for a living".

Fifth gear explained that in the intro to their test. This type of crash is so far beyond the design parameters of the car that it doesn't really tell us much about how these cars would fare in a more normal crash, instead they wanted to demonstrate the total devastation of a crash at speeds that most modern cars can achieve. Oh, and they were curious about what would happen.

*related=http://videosift.com/video/WORLDS-FASTEST-The-fastest-car-crash-test-ever-on-Earth

WORLD'S FASTEST: The fastest car crash test ever (?) has been added as a related post - related requested by oritteropo.

I get that it's outside the normal usage scenario, but I think I'm a little more shocked that they've just never tested at these speed at all.

I guess I should look at it like a software developer testing his application by setting his PC on fire...

...or maybe by overclocking his computer to 3 times it's rated speed? (kind of the same thing)

mythbusters did it better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl8xTqTUGCY

Strait head-on with an immovable object at 160mph, yea no doubt about it your dead.

200km/h crash into a stationary object is like 2 cars hitting head-on at 100km/h each.

TBH, that kind of scenario is quite reasonable.

Here's what a car that can protect the drive in that kind of crash looks like :

300 kph into wall, at ~45 degrees.

(45 degree bounce = 70% of 300hp/h instant deceleration in the direction right-angle to the wall = 212kph immediate deceleration)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtrzvwayniM

Guy had a moderately injured leg.

-scheherazade

A collision with two cars head on with a combined impact speed of 200km/h is not actually equivalent to this test at all. If you do the math you actually work out that two cars each travelling at 100km/h hitting head on generate the same forces on their occupants as a single car hitting a fixed barrier at 100km/h. (reference, sadly light on mathematical proof)

The 5th gear test at 193km/h resulted in occupant deceleration of 400g (100g is survivable, although you can expect injuries such as detached retina, and I have heard of someone surviving 179g). Robert Kubica's accident resulted in a peak g-force reading of 75g.

You're right.

From your vehicle's perspective, all that matters is that you stop instantly. Why doesn't change that.

Hitting another mirror-identical car perfectly head on in an inelastic collision would be a perfect instant stop to each car.

Hitting a wall is a perfect instant stop.

A perfect instant stop is a perfect instant stop.

(As per Kubica's crash, I wouldn't be surprised if the car was made to crumple in a way that drags out the impact, reducing Gs)

-scheherazade