In 1981, Fitzpatrick Engineering (Warsaw, IN) was awarded a contract by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to use a “Systems Analysis Approach” to integrating air bags into a production ready small car.
The “Systems Analysis Approach” used high speed digital computing techniques to design and integrate the airbag restraint system into the subject car.
The vehicle chosen by NHTSA for this program was the DeLorean sports car. Delorean Motor Company supplied two vehicles to be used for this testing: the 15th and 17th production cars, built solely for this purpose.
On September 24, 1981, VIN #515 was the first crash test conducted at 36 mph.
#515 escaped the crusher, although having many parts removed. It has been kept hidden from the world until 2024.