Have you ever seen a car with butterfly doors? These days, car companies are more often offering subtle changes to the typical car door, in an effort to improve design and innovation while offering a much “cooler” car. There are quite a few designs out there now that challenge the conventional design: a door hinged at the front edge that allows the door to swing out, away from the body of the car. Even the most prestigious car companies, like Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porche have used this design regularly – until now. There are quite a number of cars that go against the grain in their design when it comes to doors. Some of the designs require a red-carpet entrance, since doors are much more noticeable when opened, say, to the sky. Because of this type of door, passengers may not have an easy time getting out but at least they will be arriving in style. An excellent example of these new ideas can be seen in the Mclaren F1. History has its own version of these new styles in the Delorean DMC 12, and many custom car shops are taking regular cars, such as Hondas or Mitsubishis, and giving them a literal face-lift. The main types of non-traditional car doors are as follows:
Butterfly doors: These move up and outwards allowing for easy access while saving space and eliminating the infamous “door ding.”
Scissor doors: These rotate vertically, are hinged on or near the end of the windshield which also allow for access in tight spots.
Sliding doors: These open by sliding horizontally or vertically on or suspended from a track system.
Gullwing doors: These look like seagulls opening their wings and are hinged on their uppermost edge of the doorjamb and at the roof.
Canopy doors: These are situated on the top of the car and lift up via a hinge at the front or back of the door assembly to provide wide open access. This design strongly resembles fighter jets’ doors such as what is on the F16.
Suicide doors: These are essentially backwards conventional doors and are hinged on the trailing edge. This type of door is usually only used in the rear of a four-door car, and the front door remains conventional. This allows the doors to open from the middle out, like double doors at a store. These doors were very popular among the American mafia, especially in the 1930s and 1940s.
