New safety standards in the US could mean supercars start to look different

In a bid to reduce fatal collisions, new safety standards and regulations that have been proposed in the US could mean that supercars start to look rather different or – depending on your standpoint – lose their identity.

Supercars have already changed significantly since landing on US shores, as a focus on aerodynamics and suspension mechanics was needed to combat road bumps.

Many of the high-end Lambos that arrived in the States needed adapting to ensure that the skirts and bumpers weren’t damaged, given how low they were.

But with new safety standards possibly set to be introduced, we could soon see a change to the appearance of supercars again, specifically, the front ends.

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Supercars could soon be made to have very different appearances in the US

As technology increases, safety measures in cars are becoming increasingly advanced.

EVs especially are having their safety measures ramped up, with Tesla creating a game-changing ‘Active Hood’ to protect pedestrians.

However, its autopilot feature has been subject to controversy in recent weeks with a Wile E. Coyote fake wall test opening up debate about pedestrian safety.

For supercars though, new safety standards could mean that a front-end change may be introduced to reduce the impact on pedestrians if the worst-case scenario would be to occur.

In September 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that affects all road-legal passenger vehicles under 10,000lbs.

The legislation is intended to reduce the damage caused to a pedestrian’s head when colliding with a front end, and this particularly affects supercars.

Features such as the front grilles, exterior vents, and intakes, all have to oblige by strict diameter parameters, while the exterior creases need to meet certain curvature ranges, and the under-the-hood mechanical pieces are all set to be ‘deforming’.

It has already affected some designs, albeit very minorly. The Lamborghini Revuelto had to be modified to move the logo out of a dangerous range.

A genius truck bumper design has started to come into play to help SUVs and bigger vehicles, but supercars may all soon need to adapt to stricter guidelines.

The fear is also that the potential US legislation means that supercars may all begin to look similar and lose their identities.

Still, that’s a small price to pay for safer streets.

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