1972 GM Experimental Safety Vehicle

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Experimental safety vehicle (ESV) was a designation assigned to experimental concept cars which were designed to test automobile safety ideas. The project was spearheaded by the U.S. DOT (Department of Transportation), and various concepts were developed by several manufacturers. They were designed to test new ideas on accident avoidance and occupant crash protection. The 1972 Safety Concept Car built by GM conformed to specifications supplied by the U.S. DOT as a public service for the contract price of one (USD) dollar.

The 1972 GM ESV (Experimental Safety Vehicle) was a completely new five-passenger designed residing on a 124-inch wheelbase platform with an overall length of 219 inches and a height of 54 inches. Underneath the hood was an all-aluminum V8 engine producing 185 horsepower and mated to a three-speed automatic transmission.

Focusing on safety, the 1972 GM ESV received several exaggerated (large) components including the front bumper, door beams, and B-pillars. The door beams provided protection from side-impact collisions and the B-pillars provided roll-over protection and allowed an A-pillarless windshield to improve visibility.

Safety features bestowed upon the interior a large padded structure for the front- and rear-seat passengers that provided protection for unbelted occupants up to speeds of 30 mph. For speeds in excess of 30 mph, safety was provided via airbags.

General Motors concluded the development and testing of its Experimental Safety Vehicle prototypes in May 1972. After these tests concluded, two SV prototypes and two ESV's were rebuilt and delivered to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (on June 30, 1972) for its independent test and evaluation.

With the added safety features, the GM ESV was, as described in the safety report, 'seriously overweight.' A redesign included the addition of aluminum and high-strength steels, which brought the overall weight down to 5,050 lbs., a figure that was 'considerably lighter than the experimental safety vehicles constructed by other companies with more conventional materials.'

The GM ESVs demonstrated new vehicle safety ideas provided by recently developed analytical modeling and demonstrated the tradeoffs between the requirements for passenger comfort and convenience, and the requirements for occupant crash protection and accident avoidance.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2025