I'm just curious how everyone feels about demolition derbies. On the one hand I love vehicular carnage as much as the next guy. But on the other hand I think they are a waste of cars. I could care less if they used Camrys and Accords for these things, but it makes me sick to think about how many Caprices, Grand Marquis, Fleetwoods, etc have been destroyed so some red necks could have a good time at the county fair.
I hate to see so many cars go to waste, just the notion of anything that is in reasonable repair and is being destroyed for the sake of amusement is just wrong imho.
And especially as you mentioned that all the poor B-bodys are getting smashed, when I see them, it's like, "Hey I drove that car..." *smash* Chevy! Gu noooooo!
Concordantly, if we saw Camrys and Accords in a demo derby, it would be a very SHORT exhibition certainly.
I was pulling my '79 SDV into my garage and a guy in a pickup truck asked me if it was for "a day of destruction"! I was pretty offended! That car is my pride and joy!
I was pulling my '79 SDV into my garage and a guy in a pickup truck asked me if it was for "a day of destruction"! I was pretty offended! That car is my pride and joy!
I HATE demolition derbies. its sooo sad to see all those good cars being smashed. The turning point was when I saw a '76 Eldorado on ebay in mint condition, metallic red, old lady owned, and the guy was selling off parts to use it in a derbie! the car really was mint, it had like 30,000 m.i. on it. It actually made me cry, I and I don't cry... ever.
Then I saw a '84 Coupe Deville go out the same way, he was selling the wheelcovers off of it, they were shiny as hell. that car too was nice.
Why do they do this? not only do they take the good looking cars, but they take the ones in the best condition. They need to start using old civics, or even a dodge or two... but never a Cadillac!
Even a Dodge or two? Blasphemy! What is wrong with you?!?!
Ha, actually, four cylinder derbies are pretty bad ass. They get up a lot more speed and bounce around more...not nearly the *thunk* of a 72 Deville ramming a '69 Lincoln at thirty five in reverse in six inches of mud and against a three foot diameter log, over and over and over again...but the little cars make a helluva derby!
I really don't go to demolition derbies. They don't have any that I know of in the Metro Twin Cities area. Anyways, If they're using junk cars that are undesirable/ unrestorable that's fine, but if they're using really nice, desirable cars (like that '76 that Ben mentioned), that's just sickening.
Why don't I ever see them use pickup trucks/ suv's or van's?
Yea...the big B bodies are still a helluva good car to run in a damned derby! Ugh...Diplomats are great as well! Why would you ever want to do that to a dodge!!! hmph...whatever.
Problem is, the old Cadillacs are great demo derby cars.... last demo Derby I went to, someone with a 72 Coupe De Ville won it.... easily, I might add. The rest of the cars were toast. This Coupe De Ville, honestly, it wasn't that bad....
It is sad, to see those cars go. I saw an early 70's Eldorado in a demo derby a few years prior, it was painful to watch....
I think Benzilla is right, use all imports & Dodges.... that's a demo derby. Probably the shortest demo derby on record, but at least nothing valuable would be wasted.....
But I do really think that would be interesting, like watching mini sized dogs fight eash other... Even if they could use really beat up station wagons, that would be a little better than Cadillacs, Caprice sedans, Grand marquis ect. And even if they'd stop using the nice ines, and just use the really badly rusted out ones and stuff, it wouldn't be as bad, but they use whatever thay can get their hands on, like the '76 Eldorado. Like this '65 Coupe Deville that was in Lowrider magazine a few months ago, the guy bought it to use it in a derby. The thing had no rust, strong engine, nice body, and he wanted to crush it. Fortunatly one of his friends told him that was a very bad idea, so it was saved. but thats only one.
Here's an odd twist. I drove in a couple of derbies back in the 70's and 80's (destroying nothing collectible; first time, a '68 Ford wagon, next time a '72 Olds 98) At one, the guy who ran the derby also had an Olds dealership. He told me that he'd sold over 100 cars based on how well similar cars held up in the demolition derby. Kind of the old school NHRA/Nascar benefit in reverse.
Last year though, we went to a derby at the local fair, and the guy who won drove a really decent looking '67 Chrysler Imperial. He made mincemeat out of every 80's-90s car on the track. At the end I believe he could have driven that battered Imperial home. Almost made me cry, that one...
BTW, back in the mid-80s, there was a derby in California that was nothing but stretch limos. Now THAT was fun to watch.
Huh...most derbies won't even ALLOW Imperials, becaue they ARE so bad-ass, and people would get hurt all the time. Northern California is a helluva place to find derbies...if you look hard, you can find one just about every weekend.
Sorry Spyder... Just a little joke there, joking......
Speaking of derbys with all limos, I did see one, many years ago, it was all Rolls Royces.... I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Insane.
LOVE to go to demolition derbies. As long as the cars are beaters, and not cream puffs, I can't get enough of them.
Riverhead Speedway out on Long Island has a couple of them a year, and at the end of the summer, they have the full size school bus derby - seeing those huge yellow buses smash into each other is life changing.
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