Irvin seat belts

Yes, I have seen them in 275's and 330's.

As a side note, I have also Irvan seatbelts were also used in Rover 2000's....there is your cocktail party trivia tidbit for the day!

 

I don't think Ferrari installed any seat belts in the 60's cars. there were no seat belt laws yet. Most cars did not even come with attaching points for seatbelts yet. the Irvin belts in the cars were put n after the cars arrived here. I think they were available for airplanes, hence the logo, and people just put them in the cars.

 

I was told that Irvin made harnesses for parachutes.

The Irvin belts were installed in my 1967 GTC when it was new.
But, I'm not sure if it was done at the factory or by Chinetti.

My ALFA is also a 1967 and the lap/shoulder seat belts (not Irvin) were installed by the dealer to factory mounting points.

Bob Z.

 

Are you asking about these belts for historical curiosity or are you actually thinking of using these things in your car? If you are I highly recommend against it. Consider some modern 4 point system. I have Shroth (sp) belts in my car with a rapid release buckle. I feel much safer than with the flimsy Irvin belts in my 330GTS.

 

Just curious...are Irvin belts the oldtime airliner-style ones?

My 330 had no seatbelts when I bought it and I had shoulder-lap restraints installed for the front seats.

 

Those are good looking...definite 50's-early '60s period flavor. A little too early for my car, but do need some rear seatbelts.

 

there are two types of Irvin seatbelts that I know of, the kind you have pictured are pretty but basically useless. They just fold over themselves and as the detent wears out they will come unbuckled everytime you go over a bump. The other style are more seatbelt like and have a shiney black plastic cover with the wings in the center. If you can find a set of the Klippans that are used on the later GTCs and 365 series cars, they work a lot better and at least give me the feeling that would do what they are supposed to in an accident.

my 2 cents

Zac

 

Given the absence of crush zones, a central structure, a deformable steering link, and all other modern passive safety aides on a 60's Ferrari, does a well anchored and solid seatbelt system really make sense in such a car?

I was looking to put seatbelts in my 212 and was told that they would be absolutely useless, and that if a belt did a good job of holding me in my seat in crash, I would very soon have to share said seat with Mr. Colombo's creation.

I wonder.

Cheers,

Julio

 

I've seen the Irving belts on cars that came in from Europe, as such I believe the factory installed them.

IF belts were installed by Chinetti or MCM I doubt they would A: Use a European belt and B: use the same manufacturer....

 

Last year Shaughnessy bought a large quantity of NOS Irwin's, contact him

 

Seat belts have come in all American cars since January 1, 1964. Probably a requirement for all cars sold in the US, but I don't know that to be a fact.

My Father's 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury was delivered on November 22, 1963 (a date we all remember...) and went back to the dealership after the first of the year to have the seatbelts retrofitted.

I can also remember riding in the backseat of a neighbor's (then newish) 1959 Chevrolet sedan that had a seatbelt fitted only for the driver. What an ungainly bracket arrangement; looked suitable for a trailer hitch!

 

Thanks, I'll do that. I didn't know he'd retired or was no longer selling to individuals...the last time I bought anything from him was about a year ago.

Regarding seatbelts in old Ferraris...I agree, in a very bad accident, the lifesaving potential would be questionable, but in a lower-speed collision the inertia reel 3-points I have would definitely provide a safety factor...I feel much better having them. Besides, TX law requires front belts for any car with regular or classic plates, but not for antique plates...I have classic plates (original Texas plates for the year of a vehicle over 25 yrs old) on my car.

The first family car I remember coming with belts was the new 1963 Buick sedan my mom bought in summer '63...but I think they were a dealer-installed option at the time, not yet required by law.

 

my car - early 68 365 - came with these Irvin three-point belts on all four seats.
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My 1967 330GTC #10767 has Irvin belts as shown in post 7. It was delivered by Algar, but I don't know if the belts were factory installed. The owner's manual may help (if the belts are shown they were likely factory installed), but mine isn't handy right now.

Jack