Miata With Gull Wing Doors?

Jeez, I went searching for a photo of nerf bars, and discovered the term is now being applied to all manner of spurious chrome gee-gaws. Here's a cartoon of a VW with real nerf bars:

Hotrodders felt the same way about massive chrome bumpers that we do about front license plates. Cars were required to have rear bumpers, though, so their solution was a pair of minimal chrome tubes, as small as could pass for bumpers. Didn't do squat in a collision, but avoided tickets. They also were popular because they looked like the push bars used to bumpstart drag race cars lacking batteries and starter motors.

As for all the running board-thingies and footrests, calling them "nerf bars" is like calling a clutch pedal pad a "tire" because it's made of rubber.

I must admit the phrase is new to me (never much into the hotrod thing). Any sources on the etymology of "nerf bar"?

40 years ago, at least, "nerf" referred to the sort of minor collision typical of close, fender-to-fender racing. "He nerfed me braking into Turn Six, but it barely upset my line."

Common usage today only reflects ignorance of its origins...not to mention of the word "etymology."

Wasn't it used with toys - foam stuff that would collide with furniture in a non-damaging manner... "nerf football", etc?

miker

Which uncovers the question of why a minor bump was called a "nerf". ;)

One site I found mentioned that before it referred to the largely cosmetic bumpers, "nerf bars" were the "gaurd rails" put on open wheel racers to protect the tires from other cars.

Yea, I wondered if there was a connection, but couldn't find anything to indicate that there was.

That was a much-later development.

I want that!

(where do the windows go?)

-- Steve McMahon Green '07 Sport

If you do not mind some pronounced dings from the non-gull-wing cars you parked next to.

Leon