I actually think half of the measures in place such as position of airbags in a Ferrari (!) are designed as a way to keep control of vehicle imports, so cheaper cars cannot flood in from foreign markets.

Regarding the airbags, if people are so stupid as to not wear a seat belt when driving around then they should be the ones put in jail, they certainly shouldnt be able to fight a law action suit because THEY where the stupid ones in the first place!!!

Cars manufactured in Europe and Asia have been very similar to American domestic cars for years. The airbag mandate kicked in about six years earlier over here.

Emissions certification notwithstanding, many specialty cars never sold in the USA have been hellish to get legally imported simply because a bumper didn’t pass a 5mph crash test. Take a Porsche 959 and compare it to a US Porsche Turbo of similar vintage and you won’t find THAT much difference in the front bumper designs.

Nissan Skyline GT-R enthusiasts probably have one of the most infamous ongoing battles with the US Dept. of Transportation and EPA in trying to get a pretty good Japanese sportscar in their garages. This mainly has to do with many early GT-R’s lacking standard driver and passenger airbags and having a large intercooler wedged into the front bumper. The emissions issue is a no brainer: never designed to meet USA emissions, however one can make the car applicable…. but the government must certify EVERY car legally brought in. This is expensive and at the moment, the only company officially allowed to modify the cars has gone bankrupt.

That’s one isolated example. Enthusiasts and rich buyers of Ferarris know what they are getting into, as previously mentioned. Even if you had every possible modern safety technology installed on these cars, they are downright dangerous in the hands of an unskilled and overly ambitious driver.

I don’t think it is entirely fair to pick on Ferarri just because they have been successful, sell their cars in ultra low volume, and have a habit of selling cars to ridiculously well off people.

Lotus Cars just barely gets by the government rules selling their Elise in limited numbers. The Elise is a wonderfully well balanced, lightweight racing car for the road. It’s priced between $40k-$55k… well within reach of enthusiasts who WANT that car for how it drives and looks and KNOW what they are getting into.

Did I forget to mention that the Elise has no airbags? Thanks to some generous laxing of the rules on the part of the Dept of Transportation, you too can buy one of these fine little sports cars if you choose to.

And I don’t think anyone with fatal injuries is walking away from anything. that’s why they’re called FATAL, regardless of the car manufacturer, Sca.

Abnormal seating positions are not the standard by the way, and the riskier a ride, the more occupants should follow procedure. like another poster said you should “know what your getting into.”

The defender doesn’t the same kind of slack Ferrari gets because there are more than two seats. Remember, the Elise/Exige were also exemptions to some safety standards but again a two-seater with the purpose to be drivien like a racecar. Occupants are expected to follow safety laws…

That’s falty logic. If Ferrari can get an exception, then why have standards at all? The point is they apply to EVERYONE. I don’t care how “cool” an overpriced Italian car is, it shouldn’t be exempt to the law, the same way trucks and SUV’s should be exempt from strict emmision and mileage laws.

HAHAHAHA
Ferrari as a private company should have a policy not to sell to women who sit in abnormal positions.
Yellow warning stickers in the car should also say:
“women who operate this vehicle in abnormal seating positions may result in serious injury or death.”

True then there’s the guy who recently died in his Carerra GT on a track…and his widow is suing everyone under the sun.

Is this the ‘head in lap’ position Ferrari drivers buy thier cars for! I thought the center console was the problem here ! (even with the paddle shifter)

Hahahaha
Oh man I want a Ferrari