[RahulNagaraj]

Today, vehicles are getting faster by the minute. Manufacturers seem to be pushing the envelope with each of their products to extract every extra bit of performance from their machines.

Having said that, new-age models also come packed with a host of safety features and intelligent tech, which not only keep the drivers / riders safe, but also ensure the vehicles are controllable even when pushed to their limits.

However, this isn't always the case. Over the years, there have been multiple vehicles that have earned a reputation for being dangerous. These vehicles are usually either too powerful, have no safety features or are just uncontrollable.

Such vehicles have, over the years, earned the nickname 'widow-maker'. These are the ones that have been involved in a number of unfortunate incidents, some even resulting in the deaths of their drivers, hence the title.

While there are multiple cars / motorcycle which have been nicknamed 'widow-maker', here are our top 5:

Porsche Carrera GT


Image Source

The Porsche Carrera GT is an iconic sports car of its era, with enthusiasts still singing its praises even today. However, while the Carrera GT looks and feels iconic, it is also considered to be one of the most dangerous Porsches to drive.

The sports car is powered by a mid-mounted 5.7-litre V10 producing 612 BHP, borrowed from a Le Mans Prototype. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with all the power being sent to the rear wheels.

However, what makes the Carrera GT earn the 'widow-maker' tag is the lack of safety equipment. While the car itself is brutish to drive and highly temperamental, the further lack of basic safety features such as traction control and ABS make it that much harder to drive. The car leaves the driver with no margin for error, requiring absolute concentration when driven fast.

Dodge Viper


Image Source

The 1992 Dodge Viper has now become an iconic American sports car. However, while the newer generations came with a bunch of safety features and driver protection equipment, the first-generation model was as basic as a car could get.

The 1992 Viper missed out on even the most basic features such as traction control, roll cage, airbags and ABS. What it did have, is a massive 8.0-litre, V10 producing 400 BHP and 630 Nm paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox sending power to the rear wheels. The car had a claimed 0-96 km/h acceleration time of 4.3 seconds, which is quick even by today's standard.

The result was an excessive amount of power in a light sports car, with absolutely no safety net for the driver, if things went wrong.

AC-Shelby Cobra


Image Source

Similar to the Dodge Viper, the AC / Shelby Cobra is yet another iconic American sports car to earn the 'widow-maker' title.

The first iterations of the Shelby Cobra came powered by Ford's 427 cubic-inch (7-litre) V8. These cars were reportedly capable of sprinting from 0-160 km/h and then back to zero in just 14 seconds.

Also similar to the Dodge Viper, the Shelby Cobra was known to produce excess power with little to no safety equipment. This combined with primitive brakes and an open body didn't make them an ideal car for enthusiastic driving.

Porsche 997 911 GT2


Image Source

Yet another Porsche which earned the 'widow-maker' title was the 997-generation 911 GT2. This model came powered by a 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six engine producing 523 BHP and 684 Nm. It was paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, which sent power to the rear wheels.

The Porsche 997 911 GT2, like its predecessors, carried forward an insane amount of power compared to its rivals back in the day. The 911 GT2 was also notorious for keeping the driver focussed at all times, leaving no room for error. While this version of the GT2 did receive some basic safety equipment, it still has been involved in multiple unfortunate incidents over the years, earning it a spot on our list.

Yamaha RD350


Image Source

This two-stroke motorcycle from the 80s kick-started the entry of performance bikes in the Indian market. Offered in two variants, the Yamaha RD350 came powered by 347cc two-stroke twin-cylinder engine producing either 27 BHP or 31 BHP.

The 'RD' on the nameplate was at one time given an unofficial abbreviation - Racing Death. This was mainly because of the immense power produced by its two-stroke engine. To add to this, the RD350 even received poor functioning drum brakes at both ends, which combined with its lacklustre tyres which couldn't handle the performance the motorcycle had to offer.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[haisaikat]

Since the title says vehicle and not explicitly cars, I would like to add Mig-21 which has also been referred to as Flying Coffin for the deaths and crashes caused. But still retained for its sheer utilitarian and maintainable image. Whether it should be termed dangerous, I do not know.

As per online sources:-

Since 1970 more than 170 Indian pilots and 40 civilians have been killed in MiG-21 accidents

[Mr.U]

If we go back a few years more the OG widow maker was the Porsche 930 Turbo. The rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive configuration, relatively short wheelbase, and significant turbo lag also made it a highly demanding car to drive well. This is why it became known as the Widow-maker.

Quite a few Porsches on the list already.

[srini1785]

One more addition to this list : Kawasaki H1 500 Mach III. A 3 cylinder 500cc inline 2 stroke. Produced around 60hp. It had a fearsome reputation as being the fastest accelerating machine of its time. An inside info was that Kawasaki produced this and its subsequent H2 750 just as a publicity stunt.

Anyways here it is:

[VKumar]

All the Widowmakers have one common trait - Overwhelm! Be it with power, or with dynamics, or both.

I would like to add a few cars from the Indian side, which have had a bad reputation in terms of crashes:

Mahindra Scorpio: Not current one, but the old first gen, 2.6 Di with 106 bhp motor. Poor control, even 106 bhp was high for India back then. And it loved to turn turtle instead of turning. I can count the number of deaths associated to this car in my personal and extended circles 16-17 years back from today.

Maruti Suzuki Esteem 1.3: UDAN or Udey Desh ka Aam Nagrik scheme was launched by government in 2017, but Maruti Suzuki made it happen in late 90s' itself. They gave you a car built like an aluminum foil with a 0-100 time of under 13 seconds, and a top speed of over 170 kph, back in 1999. All this at an affordable price. And everyone knows how horrific crashes we used to come across which involved the Esteem particularly. The car can virtually overtake everything else on the road those days, and was a favorite of the street racers too. Overtakes going horribly wrong was like a norm for Esteem.

First Generation Verna 1.5 CRDi: Remember those days? This car was called road rocket by people. No ABS, poor dynamics, but a 110 bhp CRDi motor, 0-100 came around 11 seconds, and a top speed of around 180 kph. Verna was so much advanced for our janta upgrading from Maruti 800s and Zens, that it felt like an aircraft. So well insulated, so quick, that people didn't even used to realize when they hit insane speeds. And the car earned a really bad reputation too those days for frequent crashes. Imagine, a Skoda Octavia back then could not manage to go as fast as this 50% priced Hyundai could.

What made these cars riskier was a combination of three factors:

• Affordability: All three of them were well priced, hence were easily accessible
• Decent performance: They had more than adequate performance back then. They had enough power and performance to overwhelm many. I remember those days, if Verna used to come in wedding, entire neighborhood just wanted to try their hand on it.
• Poor infrastructure: Most of the roads were the narrow single carriageways with opposite traffic facing you

[V.Narayan]

No car can be a widow maker unless you drive it thus. It is the driving and the driver that makes for widow making IMHO. Other wise any powerful and fast car can be dubbed a widow maker and every car with a zero NCAL rating could be termed one too - though I do not agree to either point of view.

The phrase 'widow maker' has been used a few times to describe fighter aircrafts with inherent aerodynamic flaws while landing or diving or with a tendency to get caught in a fatal irrecoverable spin. The most famous of these was the Lockheed Starfighter F-104 which the Americans forced through politics and bribes onto their NATO allies in the 1960s and 70s.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Since the title says vehicle and not explicitly cars, I would like to add Mig-21 which has also been referred to as Flying Coffin for the deaths and crashes caused. But still retained for its sheer utilitarian and maintainable image. Whether it should be termed dangerous, I do not know.

The MiG-21, undoubtedly the most famous supersonic jet fighter of all times, gained a undeserved reputation in India thanks to spurious parts purchased by a dime saving Govt in the 1990s and the civilian bureaucracy refusing for 20+ years to allow the IAF a fast jet trainer that could train rookie pilots to graduate onto a high performance aircraft like the MiG-21. That led to the loss of many young lives of rookie pilots which those faceless bureaucrats need to answer for.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

Yamaha RD350

This I know about, having seen so many of them crashed at my mechanic who was the specialist for for Yamahas. Also lovingly known as the "Yam-Doot"

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

Porsche 997 911 GT2

Sole reference for this is Jeremy Clarkson. As also various TVRs.
By that measure, A widowmaker would be EXTREMELY desirable, Weak in the knees type, but capable of killing you at any point through mutually assured destruction. And you would still yearn for it, despite the danger associated with owning it.
I doubt if poorly designed and made Mahindras, marutis Hyundais and Tatas count. At best, they're just killers. Would I want one? No.
Would I want a Yamdoot, despite knowing that it will kill me at the first chance? Hell Ye!

[jigar1791@gmail]

Off-topic, maybe?

But, how can we forget the infamous Mumbai local trains?

With a death rate of 10/day, annual death count on Mumbai's suburban tracks stand at 3,500 odd.

I once remember, while traveling back home from office (Dec 2017), evening 9 PM, my local starts from Dadar, and suddenly, comes to a grinding halt. Got to know that a man standing outside on the door lost his balance and fell between the wheels, crushed to death. Commuters inside, after 10 mins or so say - why did he get this train to die? (isko kya yeahi train mila marne ko?)

Trains here are so jam-packed, Railways have come up with a new load factor measurement term - Super Dense Crush Load

@Mods - please feel free to delete this thread if not found relevant/Off-topic from the discussion underway!

Regards,
Jigar Shah

Attaching a couple of pics for your reference.

[RedTerrano]

I am surprised nobody has mentioned Ford Pinto yet.
With it's wrongly located fuel tank, it was prone to catch fire almost immediately, especially in case of being rear ended.



If memory serves me right, the law suits and recalls cost Ford a tremendous amount of money.

[JayKis]

Looks like you forgot the original widow maker the Kawasaki H2.

The Bike aptly named Widow Maker in its time.

As the gasping finally stops and journalists at the Cologne motorcycle show put their eyes back into their heads, we take a look at the original Kawasaki H2, whose heritage has provided the template on which the incredible new Ninja H2 is based.

In the early 70's everyone had to have a 750 superbike in their range. Norton had the 120mph Commando, MV the 750S and Ducati the 750SS. When Kawasaki entered the fray with the Mach IV they tore up the rule book and the tarmac.

Kawasaki well and truly set their stall out in the H2 brochure in 1972, and they had good reason to: “We've just pulled a fast one on the competition. Named the Kawasaki 750cc Mach IV. Of all the world's production models, it's the fastest thing on two wheels. Faster than any Suzuki. Faster than any Triumph. Faster than any BSA, and Honda, any anything.”

The H2 was designed for one thing and one thing only: speed. Noise, pollution, fuel consumption, even handling were all afterthoughts.

With 60bhp on tap and weighing just 184kg, Kawasaki's 500cc H1 Mach III triple had set the benchmark for road bike performance, but the early 1970s were a numbers game, and the key number was 750.

The newly formed Formula 750 race series had every motorcyclist wanting to go bigger and faster, and every manufacturer clambering to help them. Norton had the 120mph Commando, MV the 750S and Ducati the 750SS. Kawasaki had to up their game, and up it they did.

Unlike the disc- and reed-valve two-stroke designs then coming on to the market, Kawasaki stuck to a piston-port design for simplicity and compactness. Three Mikuni 32mm carburettors provided the mixture, and Kawasaki's new Capacitor Discharge Ignition lit the touch paper.

It was a basic set up, but it worked. The Mach IV put out and eye watering 74bhp (its closest rival, the Triumph Trident, could muster only 58bhp) but weighed just 8 kilos more than the H1. The result was arm-wrenching acceleration and a blistering 126mph top speed. The industry, the press and the riders of the day hadn't experienced anything quite like it.

There was just one problem the H2’s lightweight tubular cradle frame was simply incapable of containing the vicious performance of the motor. It flexed under cornering, weaved horribly on uneven roads, making finding the right line and sticking to it almost impossible. Kawasaki fitted two steering dampers (one friction and one hydraulic) but they didn't make much difference.

On top of that, most of the Mach IV’s weight was over the rear wheel, which – combined with a short swingarm – caused the front wheel to go skywards, if the rider wasn't easy on the throttle. And that wasn't easy to do: the whole 74bhp was delivered in an incredibly narrow power band.

In the hands of an experienced rider, the Mach IV was the fastest production bike in the world, but with someone less skilled on board, it was an accident waiting to happen. It earned its nickname 'the widow maker' all too often.

By 1974 Kawasaki had made a few chassis alterations and tweaked the motor to tame the terrifying power delivery, but by the standards of the day the H2 was a still a hooligan.

It wouldn't however be just it's reckless reputation that sealed the H2s fate. By the mid-70s the realities of an oil crisis', and increasingly strict safety, environmental and noise regulations meant the writing was on the wall for all the big strokers. The last H2 howled off into the distance in a haze of blue smoke 1975. The last of a generation.

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocia...kawasaki-h2///

[iamahunter]

Can't forget The Duke.



It is too fast and dangerous, the Duke is not respected for the beautiful machine that it is, but rather taken advantage of the powerful performance.

Most cases of road accidents and on the spot deaths have been reported to be on Dukes, the death toll on Duke is much more than any other motorcycle in India.

Image Credits

[SnS_12]

As V.Narayan mentioned its the skill of a person which determines which car becomes a widow maker for him/her. Certain car demand a higher skill level and then their are cars which expect your 100% focus/attention 100% of the time which ultimately get tagged as widow makers in the automobile world.

The Porsche Carrera GT is one such vehicle and even the best end up loosing their lives for that fraction of a second when they loose respect for the power of this vehicle. Its not an easy car to live with because just to get the car rolling from first gear needs skill as the clutch has to be released (its a manual ) fully before giving any throttle input or else you will stall the car. Also the clutch has to be treated with care or else if you engage and disengage it in the wrong manner it will make a dent in your pocket upwards of $40k.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

Can't forget The Duke.


It is too fast and dangerous, the Duke is not respected for the beautiful machine that it is, but rather taken advantage of the powerful performance.

Most cases of road accidents and on the spot deaths have been reported to be on Dukes, the death toll on Duke is much more than any other motorcycle in India.

That's not just because it's too fast or too dangerous. Infact the Duke/rc 390 are extremely noob-friendly motorcycles.

They get the bad rep because they are affordable. Every chapri fellow can buy one new or used. And voila, give 45 bhp to someone who doesn't have much experience, results are no surprise.

The 390s are fast bikes but are also easily in reach for majority of these kids. Bad combination, that is.

[anjan_c2007]

The Porsche 550 Spyder

James Dean, the very young and promising American actor (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) died tragically in a car accident. Apart from acting, the actor loved motor sport and was driving to participate in the Salinas Road Race on 1st and 2nd October 1955. His then brand new 1955, Porsche 550 Spyder crashed on on the fateful day while he was driving from Los Angeles to Salinas on September 30, 1955. He left behind his aunt who had brought him up after he had lost his mother at age 9, in 1940. The actor later lived with his father and stepmother. He also had a girlfriend, the young Italian actress Pier Angeli. Since he was young, there was no widow.

His car collided with a 1950 Ford Tudor on September 30, 1955. The Porsche was cruising on Route 466, while the Ford ahead made a left turn on Highway 41. Dean's car hit the passenger side of the Ford and bounced across the pavement off the highway killing the actor. The actor had been ticketed for over speeding during this drive.







The last picture hours before the fatal crash

Images of the wrecked car

https://abc7news.com/james-dean-fata...rsche/5420258/