Seat belts weren't manditory until the mid 60's. Old cars were certain death.
The term they don't make them like they used to is reffering to the the fact that they were made out of metal. (no plastic inside or outside)
Plus you could actually repair a minor collision instead of scrapping the car because of the crumple zones.
And they had style, people actually wanted to by them
I'd like to see that test again with a direct front hit instead of offset