Yes, kind of. If I remember, the US regulations called for a maximum dollar amount of damage when hitting a solid barrier at 5mph. I think the next year (1975), the regulations increased so there could be no damage. Between the bumper regulations and the regulations for door beams, a redesign was called for which helped bring the decision not to continue building them and go with the more modern Elite and Esprit. The bumper actually works pretty well. I think what makes it work as well as it does is the bumper spreads the load across the entire front of the car.
Back in my feckless youth, I was tearing around a curvy road along Lake Pontchartrain (the lake north of New Orleans) after a minor hurricane hit the town. I didn't know it but behind a blind corner, the road was blocked with an aluminum barrier weighted down with sand bags. The barrier probably weighed 50 - 75 lbs and the sand bags probably weighed another 40 lbs. I applied the brakes when I saw it but I probably hit it going at least 35 mph. I closed my eyes and envisioned a rain fiberglass shards, but there was very little damage. There was a minor bit of 'warpage' in the bumper but the glass did not appear to be damaged. On the other hand, the barrier was pushed back about 10 feet and warped a bit and there was sand all over the place! It also made enough noise that a nearby cop came to see what happened!
Edit - added the year that regulations were to strengthen.
