Muscle cars are great for a lot of things…but they are far from safe. The level of technology just wasn’t there at the time to produce anything more than some very simple safety features like collapsible steering wheels and padded dashboards.

These days, most of us are ready to dump tens of thousands of dollars into a high-horsepower engine or slick suspension system…but safety sometimes gets overlooked.

Take the story we ran a few weeks ago about a man who wrecked his 1970 ‘Cuda after losing control on a rural highway. Moparts came across pictures of this ‘Cuda just weeks before it was wrecked, reminding us what speed can do to a once-beautiful car, and an always-fragile life.

According to police reports, a 65-year old man had been driving his 1970 ‘Cuda when it ran out of gas.

After some family members refueled him, the man sped off, and eventually losing control at a high rate of speed. The ‘Cuda collided with a telephone pole and split in two. The driver was killed, and the engine was found over 100 feet away from the rest of the wreck.

Over at Moparts, the story of the accident got around, and somebody posted these pictures of what appears to be the same exact car, before it got wrecked. As we can see it was quite the beauty, and we’re sure the owner was proud of her. It is a shame things ended the way they did, and we hope you will carry this story with you next time you consider recklessly endangering yourself and your sweet ride.