Rollbar for hatchback

On a side impact I think I'd agree, they probably wouldn't offer a lot of protection. But if you're looking to strengthen the chassis, especially front to back, I think they probably do just fine in that regard. Obviously not quite as strong as a straight bar as the radii would give it a bit of weakness, but a whole lot better than nothing at all. Besides, you have to crawl in and out of that car, a big bar crossing your path just isn't conducive to driving it on a regular basis. I believe he is building this car as more of a show car as compared to a racer, so I imagine he wanted both the strength of the cage and the ease of entry/exit in his build. And, as Matt pointed out, he's not all that young either. I mean I'm 49 and am starting to have issues getting in and out of my car, and that pic in 71 was before I was born too, I believe he's in his 70s now. You might not have a problem crawling in and out of something like that, but trust me when I tell you there will come a point you will. I also don't think door bars are really meant to protect you from a side impact, I think they're more meant to keep the interior a kind of bubble in the event of a rollover as well as give the car strength as I described earlier. I don't think side impacts are what anyone had in mind when they designed door bars for roll bars or roll cages. I could be wrong, if I am go ahead and correct me and link some resources. I'm strictly going off of my knowledge as a toolmaker and how I know things to work, not as a cage builder or engineer.

*edited to rephrase a sentence