8 Of The Most Unique Types Of Car Doors

Scissor Doors

Let's begin with one of the more known door types. Scissor doors are mostly scened in supercars especially the Lamborghinis ever since the Countach was first spotted with these. These doors were made to enable an individual to get out of their vehicle without their door using too much space in order to open.

Suicide doors

These doors are mainly spotted in ultra-luxury cars such as a Rolls Royce, however, may also be spotted in more affordable vehicles such as Mazda's RX8. The suicide doors are usually a set of four doors that open with their inners facing each other like that of a gate.

Swan Doors

These are almost like regular car doors, in a sense that they open just like the regular ones, however in a slight upward angle. These types of doors are usually seen in high-end performance vehicles such as various Aston Martins. The design behind this door revolves around tackling high street curbs that might be hit by the car's door due to its low ground clearance.

Gullwing Doors

Gullwing doors are known for the silhouette it creates when kept in the open position as it resembles that of a bird with its wings open. The gullwing doors were used due to them making it easier for the driver to get in and out of the vehicle. These doors also made it easier for the driver to look behind over their shoulder, access the rear seats and put luggage of any sort into the vehicle.

Butterfly doors

These doors are attached to a hinge that is present on the A-pillar of the car. These look like a mixture between scissor doors and gullwing doors as they open in an upward position, however unlike the scissor doors do open wider. Cars such as the McLaren F1 made these doors popular, however the Toyota Sera is what inspired McLaren to make these doors.

Sliding drop-down doors

The BMW Z1 is most famous for these doors. The doors were completely automatic. A simple press of a button would activate a mechanism that would slide the doors into the lower sill of the car. These doors were even called the disappearing doors as they would completely hide in the floor bed of the car. The mechanism revolved around a pully-based system with a rubber belt that aided in sliding the door.

Canopy Doors.

These car doors opened up from the top like that of the canopy of a fighter jet. These doors usually involved the opening of the entire windshield and rood as one piece. These doors eliminate the need for A-pillars in a car as the hatch opens as a whole from the top. There are a few downsides to these for example in the case of the car rolling over in an accident, it is almost impossible to exit the vehicle.

Raptor Doors

Also known as Koenigsegg's “Dihedral synchro-helix” doors, these are another solution to opening big supercar doors with ease. These doors that are invented by Koenigsegg themselves are made as scissor doors open up too high and may be distressing to close from a seated position. The doors revolve around a sweeping hinge system that first pushes the door open and outwards and then slides it in a 90-degree angle to face upwards without a change in its altitude. Till date these are unique to Koenigsegg's automobiles respectively