Maybe you’re looking for inspiration before you buy a car door, or you’re simply a fan of the weird, wonderful and sophisticated aspects of car design. This article will explore some iconic designs and the different types of car door out there.
Car door types
1. Car doors that open upwards
Scissor doors
Unlike your conventional car doors that open outward, scissor doors swing upwards, opening vertically at an angle of 90 to 130 degrees. Not only does this look sleek and modern, but it saves space and time when parking as you won’t need to worry about scraping the doors against other vehicles or objects.
They’re often colloquially referred to as ‘lambo doors’ due to the fact they’re a popular favourite of Lamborghini and other premium sports car brands.
Butterfly car door
While they may look very similar to scissor doors, there are a few differences. The main difference is that ‘butterfly wing’ car doors open upwards and outwards because their hinges are positioned along the A-pillar whereas scissor doors are attached at the bottom of the pillar on frontal hinges. They are also found on flashy sports cars, such as the McLaren P1.
Gull wing car door
They were named gull wing doors because when open, they closely resemble the wings of seagulls. They are hinged to the roof and spread out like wings, and are typically supported by gas struts. While they’re certainly unique, the main downside is that they still require a lot of space when opening.
2. Different types of car door openings
Sliding doors
You’ve probably seen these on large taxis, vans, and minibuses. They slide out of the way to give the passengers more room to enter or make it easier to load. Similar to the sliding doors on a wardrobe, they slide along a track mechanism. Apart from that, everything operates as normal, including the car door lights.
Swan doors
This classical twist on the conventional car door gives your car the elegance of a swan. It opens the same as most doors except it opens up wider and points slightly upwards like the wings of a swan. The practical element of this is that you can easily avoid hitting the kerb, which is especially useful if the vehicle has low ground clearance.
Front car door
The unforgettable front-hinged door on the BMW Isetta 600 allowed the driver to climb directly into the front seat from the front of the car and exit without having to worry about the door hitting other road users. In an emergency, the vehicle’s occupants can escape through the sunroof.
While it was an economical novelty at the time, there are a few flaws in this design in terms of practicality. With one big front door hinged to the nose of the car, there was no space for a traditional front-end crumple zone like there is in most modern vehicles, making it less safe.
Coach/suicide doors
What on earth is a suicide door on a car? Why would anyone call it that? They are designed with hinges at the rear, meaning that they open from the front towards the traffic. While this means that there is more space for the passenger to enter and exit the vehicle, it also blocks the view of traffic, increasing the risk of the passenger or door colliding with another vehicle.
These doors were popular for horse-drawn carriages back in the early 20th century and were responsible for a number of accidents, hence the name. Nowadays, they’re featured on very few vehicles, such as premium cars from Rolls-Royce, Mazda, Honda, and BMW.
Hopefully, you found this article interesting if not useful. For most of us, a standard car door does the trick. When replacing a door, you need to be able to find the exact fit and ideally the same shade for your vehicle. You can conveniently choose parts from a specific product catalogue online or enter the OE part number or VIN.
