- Béla Barényi
Béla Barényi (
1 March 1907 –30 May 1997 ) was a Hungarian-Austrian engineer [cite web|title=Barényi Béla, "autóbiztonsági szakértő"|language=Hungarian|url=http://www.sulinet.hu/tart/fcikk/Kjb/0/14670/1|work=Sulinet (governmental educational site in Hungary)|accessdate=2008-06-24] [cite news|first=Jenő|last=Boros|title=Barényi, a halhatatlan|language=Hungarian|work=Népszabadság |url=http://nol.hu/cikk/116653/|date=2003-07-02|accessdate=2008-06-24] , regarded as the father ofpassive safety inautomobile s. [cite web
title = Prof. h.c. Béla Barényi
work =German Patent and Trade Mark Office
url = http://www.dpma.de/ponline/erfindergalerie/e_bio_barenyi.html
accessdate=2008-06-24] cite web
url = http://www.automotivehalloffame.org/honors/index.php?cmd=view&id=4&type=inductees
work =Automotive Hall of Fame
title = Inductees: Béla Barényi
accessdate = 2006-05-20] He was born inHirtenberg nearVienna . After mechanical and electrical engineering studies at the Vienna college, he was employed by Austria-Fiat, Steyr and Adler (predecessor of Audi) automobile companies before joining Daimler-Benz in 1939. Heading the pre-development department ofDaimler-Benz from 1939 to 1972, he developed eg. the concept of thecrumple zone , the non-deformable passenger cell [cite book |last=Eckermann |first=Erik |authorlink= |coauthors=Peter L. Albrecht |editor= |others= |title=World History of the Automobile |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url=http://books.google.hu/books?id=yLZeQwqNmdgC&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=B%C3%A9la+Bar%C3%A9nyi&source=web&ots=S2oznyDWRD&sig=vygFgr85g1iBcHpvDxhT78FUybE&hl=hu&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result |format= |accessdate=2008-06-24 |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |volume= |date=2001 |year= |month= |publisher= |location= |language= |isbn=076800800X |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=181 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ] , collapsible steering column, safer detachable hardtops [cite web |url=http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/droptop_depot/1971_mercedes_benz_280sl_feature |title=1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL - Feature |accessdate=2008-06-24 |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author= |last=Robinson |first=Aaron |authorlink= |coauthors=Morgan J. Segal |date= |year=2006 |month=August |format= |work=Car and Driver |publisher= |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] etc. and other features ofMercedes-Benz automobiles.He is also credited with having conceived the basic design for the
Volkswagen Beetle in 1925, five years before Ferdinand Porsche claimed to have done his version. Barényi was nominated for the award ofCar Engineer of the Century in 1999 and induced into theDetroit Automotive Hall of Fame in 1994.Barényi died in
Böblingen , Germany. A Mercedes advertisement featuring Barényi’s image stated: “No one in the world has given more thought to car safety than this man.”References
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