The Lincoln Continental’s steering column was deliberately designed to collapse forward during frontal impacts by using a breakaway joint that would separate under sudden deceleration, allowing the column to fold toward the dashboard rather than impaling the driver—making it the first production car to intentionally weaponize a structural failure as a safety feature, though the feature worked so reliably that it went largely unnoticed by drivers who never experienced the crash conditions that would trigger it.
Car Fact #132 — October 25, 2026
