List of cars with non-standard door designs

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This is a list of cars with non-standard door designs, sorted by door type. These car models use passenger door designs other than the standard design, which is hinged at the front edge of the door, and swings away from the car horizontally and towards the front of the car.

Contents

List of non-standard door designs

The main types of non-standard door designs are:

Some custom limousines have enlarged doors.

Scissor doors

Scissor doors open on a Lamborghini Murcielago Lamborghini Murcielago Concours.jpg
Scissor doors open on a Lamborghini Murciélago

Racing cars

Concept cars

Butterfly doors

Butterfly doors open on a McLaren F1 1996 McLaren F1.jpg
Butterfly doors open on a McLaren F1

Racing cars

A common door design on Group C, IMSA GTP cars of the 1980s and early 1990s and on any sports prototypes since then, this list does not include cars categorized as such. This list only includes purpose built race cars.

Concept cars

Gullwing doors

Gullwing doors open on a Mercedes-Benz 300SL 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe 34.jpg
Gullwing doors open on a Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Gullwing doors open on an Eagle SS Eagle SS kit car.jpg
Gullwing doors open on an Eagle SS

Racing cars

Concept cars

Suicide doors

1938 Hudson 112 sedan with its conventional front and rear suicide doors open 1938 Hudson six sedan Hershey 2015 7of9.jpg
1938 Hudson 112 sedan with its conventional front and rear suicide doors open
Delahaye Type 135 with its front suicide doors open 1948 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet Chapron.jpg
Delahaye Type 135 with its front suicide doors open
Saturn Ion Quad Coupe with its suicide half-rear doors open Saturn ION silver 4-door coupe doors.jpg
Saturn Ion Quad Coupe with its suicide half-rear doors open
Fiat 500e "3+1" with single suicide half-rear door open Fiat-500-3+1.jpg
Fiat 500e "3+1" with single suicide half-rear door open

Models of automobiles that featured suicide doors (i.e., doors hinged at the rear) include most full-sized extended-cab pickup trucks (rear doors only), and some vehicles categorised:

Canopy doors

Lifting canopy on a Sterling Nova Sterling kit car3-4Nose.jpg
Lifting canopy on a Sterling Nova
Canopy doors on a Saab Aero-X SAAB AERO X open.jpg
Canopy doors on a Saab Aero-X

Swan doors

Aston Martin Vantage with swan doors Aston Martin V8 Vantage - Flickr - Alexandre Prevot (62).jpg
Aston Martin Vantage with swan doors

Swan doors open outward like either a conventional door or a suicide door, but hinge slightly upward as well for better ground clearance, includes some vehicles categorised:

Dihedral synchro-helix actuation doors

Koenigsegg CCX with dihedral doors open Koenigsegg CCX (16702216680).jpg
Koenigsegg CCX with dihedral doors open

Dihedral doors are a type of doors found on all Koenigsegg cars. They open by rotating 90° at the hinge.

Other door types

AMC Pacer passenger door is longer than driver's side and disguised by the broad B-pillar while the door's opening cut into the roof also hides the rain gutter. 1975 AACA AMC Pacer X red-white roof.jpg
AMC Pacer passenger door is longer than driver's side and disguised by the broad B-pillar while the door's opening cut into the roof also hides the rain gutter.
1973 Mohs SafariKar outward sliding door on four centrally mounted rods 1973 Mohs SafariKar at Hershey 2019 - 3of8.jpg
1973 Mohs SafariKar outward sliding door on four centrally mounted rods

Sliding doors

1954 Kaiser Darrin with its sliding pocket door opened 1954 Kaiser Darrin yellow at 2015 Macungie show 3of3.jpg
1954 Kaiser Darrin with its sliding pocket door opened

Sliding doors are common on minivans, leisure activity vehicles, light commercial vehicles and minibuses. A few passenger cars have notably also been equipped with sliding doors, such as the Peugeot 1007, the Suzuki Alto Slide Slim, the BMW Z1 and the 1954 Kaiser Darrin. Many concept cars use the design as well.

Concept cars

No doors

Some cars – generally those of a very open design – have no doors at all.

References

  1. ↑ "For Your Information". Car and Driver. 13: 80. 1967. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "Lancia Stratos Prototipo". videodigitalpixel. youtube.com. 2 February 2008. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Photograph". sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "Test driving the new Honda and Pacer". Kiplinger's Personal Finance. 29 (7): 29–30. July 1975. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "Design Notes: 1975 AMC Pacer". GM Inside News. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  6. ↑ Montgomery, Andrew (2003). Illustrated Directory of American Automobiles. Salamander Books. p. 311. ISBN   9781840655346 . Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  7. ↑ Koch, Jeff (March 2012). "1975-'80 AMC Pacer: The Pacer pointed the way toward modern car-design priorities". Hemmings Motor News. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Lyons, Dan (2005). Cars of the Fantastic '50s. Krause Publications. pp. 58–61. ISBN   9780873499262 . Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Vance, Bill (29 January 2010). "Motoring Memories: Hudson Italia, 1954". Autos Canada. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  10. ↑ Massy, Kevin (18 July 2007). "Entrancing: Lincoln's disappearing-door concept". cnet. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  11. ↑ McCabe, John (21 December 2014). "The Mohs SafariKar: There's Nothing Like it (and for Good Reason)". DrivingLine. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
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