I thought Ilya would like this one!

 

Fords of the era wouldn't fare so well. Just sayin'....

 

That's hilarious. Pretty rugged cars for back then, I'll give them that. Still, you couldn't pay me enough to have my face next to that window with a fastball coming at me, safety plate glass or not. And I'm not nearly as pretty as the model they had. Somebody would be sued if they tried that stunt today.

 

I don't think cars of today would fare that well. Also don't think laminated glass is used in side windows anymore.

 

Old Dead Eye Don was a pretty good shot. Always liked the old ads and whatnot. So much enthusiasm from the narrator.

 

Chrysler/Desoto Airflow's were unit bodies, the first US cars to have it. One piece welded body/frame with a stub frame for the engine/trans to bolt to.

All ChryCo bodies were supplied by the Briggs Body Co. (they bought Briggs in 1953), who also supplied them for Ford/Mercury/Lincoln Zephyr (thru 1948).

Edit: Before someone says something, Model A bodies were mainly supplied by Briggs. The Murray Body Co. also supplied some Model A 4 door sedans.

The Lincoln Zephyr was also a unit body, based off Briggs designer Jon Tjaarda's unit bodied L'Atlantique "dream car" with sloping front end and a Ford V8 mounted at the rear.

FoMoCo desperately needed a mid-priced car to fit between the Ford and the Lincoln. Edsel liked the design, but wanted a front engine and a typical radiator grille.

The Czech Tatra was also based off the L'Atlantique, with the engine mounted at the rear. Ferry Porsche and Der Fuhrer's VW was based off the Tatra.

First unit body: 1927 Lancia Lambda, today AFAIK, all cars are unit bodies.

 

The Baseball at the Lam-Glass is still pretty sketchy. Wouldn't risk my ugly mug to do it.... Wonder how much that gig paid?

 

Despite his huge windup, I bet he didn't put a lot of heat into the throw. Even with laminated glass, pieces could spall off the inside pane. No safety glasses?! OMG!

 

That was kinda what I was thinking. How she didn't end up with a shard in her eye is amazing.

 

Yes, they have gone back to that in high end vehicles. My 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit has it as standard equipment. My 2008 Chrysler Pacifica Limited AWD had it as an option. I think that the 2016 F-150 has it as an option.

It was originally installed to make the cabin area quieter but now I think that most manufacturers are touting it for safety just like the old Airflow ad. Thanks for sharing old_dan.