11 Types of Car Doors and Their Design [Explained with Pictures]

Types of Car Doors and Their Design [with Pictures] :- There are various of styles in car doors available nowadays which have exotic to traditional look or may open backward to outward. Few of them are attached by a track and some can be hinged. Various types of car doors found in markets are:

11 Different Types of Car Doors

1. Conventional Car Door
2. Gullwing Door
3. Butterfly Door
4. Scissor Door
5. Suicide Door
6. Swan Door
7. Raptor Door
8. Dihedral Door
9. Front Hinged Door
10. Sliding Door
11. Canopy Door

1. Conventional Car Doors: ( Types of Car Doors )

Conventional car doors are the doors which are provided in most of the cars nowadays. Generally they are hinged from front face edge of the door which enable the door to open from the car body in outward direction. Among all other types of car door they are considered as safest because they cannot expand at the time of driving and if the doors are opened at the time of driving then wind resistance will oppose and helps in keeping the door closed.

Advantage:

• They are safest among all other types in keeping the doors closed.

• Easy in handling because they are conventional so people are used to it.

Disadvantage:

• Opening of door at the time of accident may be risky.

2. Gullwing Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

These doors are also known as Falcon Wing Door and are quite similar to scissor. It was first designed in 1939 by Jean Bugatti for his own car. It became popular after 1952 when this design was opted by Mercedes Benz. Around 1970, Mercedes Benz in their model C111 used this design of car model but it got popularity in 1980s when this model of car doors are used by DeLorean DMC – 12 cars.

On roof of car frame upper horizontal border this car doors are hinged and are not hinged on side. They can be opened upti 27. 5 cm.

Advantage:

• They are very useful for the parking in urban areas where there is very less area is available for parking.
• They need very less clearance which provide better ability for exiting and entering the car
• They also provide high visibility to drivers.

Disadvantage:

• This type of door design is difficult to be converted in conventional design.

3. Butterfly Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

These types of doors are also hinged to the top front corner of car’s frame. But the butterfly doors are hinged to the A – pillar of the car and opens in upward and outward which shows a fanning pattern which looks like a butterfly. They provide huge space for entering as well as exiting.

This type of car design is provided in high performance cars like Enzo Ferrari, Saleen S7 and Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. This type of design is generally adopted for sports cars and closed top racer.

Advantage:

• It can also be parked in place where parking place is less.
• They can close and open by their own due to their automatic door gliders.

Disadvantage:

• If the car is rollover in accident then it can be difficult to come out of the car.
• Parking height required is more because their door may come in contact of it if it is not sufficient.

4. Scissor Doors: ( Types of Car Doors )

They are also known as Lamborghini doors because this type of doors can be found on Lamborghini Muecielago. In 1968 it was designed by Bertone’s Marcella gandini and first of all used in alfaromeo’s car line. But over the years these types of car doors are become trademark of Lamborghini. According to traditional car doors, these doors are also attached with hinge from front top corner of door with the help of a scissor joint which enable the door to open from the car body in outward direction.

About 90 to 130 degree these doors opened vertically upward instead of opening in outward. Scissor design doors are very useful for poor visibility at rear side of car at the time of reversing.

Advantage:

• These doors enable the car to be operated when the doors are open which is not provided by the traditional car.
•  They can be easily parked when the space for parking is less because the doors do not take space for being opened.
• They can be easily converted to the conventional car doors because the hinges are at same place as that of conventional car.
• It minimize the risk of hitting other vehicle when the doors are opened.

Disadvantage:

• These doors are expensive than the conventional doors.
• If the ceiling of parking does not have sufficient height then the doors may come in contact of the ceiling.
• In case of an accident it is sometime difficult to come out of the car.

5. Suicide Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

It is designed in such a way that it can unlatched when it is in motion, the resistance caused by wind can fall you out of the car which can be dangerous at the time of high speed. Companies like Opel and Rolls Royce uses this kind of doors as flex doors or coach doors. They are hinged at back end of door’s frame and open in backward. Entry and exit in the vehicle is easier due to its rear end door and passenger can easily step in and out of the car.

Advantage:

• They provide easy entry as well as exit.

Disadvantage:

• There is chances of hitting by door and then falling of passenger.
• When the front door and the rear door are adjacent to each other then the entering and exiting from the can be awkward when both the doors are being used by the passengers.

6. Swan Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

These types of doors are somewhat similar to that of traditional car door type. But hinged are provided in this door is higher with an angle for creating more space for entering and exiting. They are popular in few designs like Jaguar C – X75, Aston Martin and GTA Spano etc.

Advantage:

• Suitable for parking is less parking area.
• It provide stylish look to the car.

Disadvantage:

• The design of door it is uncomforting for the driver while closing the door.

7. Raptor Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

These doors are like the scissor door style but their mechanism is very complex as compared to the scissor door. They are opened in outward and afterward they glide down gently and parallel to the body of car. These doors are recoil actuated therefore only a small tug is required by the door for their closing.

The name of the door was based on its working parts as well as mechanism function having a combination of rotational geared pivot which is being deployed by pivoting recoil actuated orbital retractor of the door.

First of all these doors are launched in 2007 but the popular car model used them is Ferrari GG50.

This door type fit in three positions on the car body which provide them Lamborghini look having 90 degree pivoting door which are enable to go above or below the fender, or it may give a look of Koenigsegg model in which the doors are pivot ext to fender.

Advantage:

• Due to their recoil actuated mechanism, these doors can close easily.
• Due to the three position fitting these doors provide different accessibility as well as different style.
• These doors are useful when parking in space where parking place is tight.

Disadvantage:

• When parking close to high curb leads to damaging the door when they are fitted as a Koenigsgg model.
• If the height of ceiling is not sufficient then there are chances that the door came in contact with ceiling when the doors are fitted as a Lamborghini model.

8. Dihedral Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

These doors are hybrid of scissor door but the difference is that, by moving outward dihedral doors are opened and at same time it rotate 90 degree with door hinge. There are various of car models which have used these doors like Agera R, Agera RS, the Koenigsegg Agera, Agera RS, the Koenigsegg CC8S, CCX, CCR, McLaren F1 and Regera. In recent car design, dihedral doors are becoming popular.

In this type of doors the hinges are provided on A pillars which provide support to the entire door and the mechanism.

Advantage:

• They provide easier entry and exit from the car.

Disadvantage:

• These doors can be damaged wile parkin close to high curb.
• Repairs are expensive because doors are carbon fiber.

9. Front Hinged Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

In this type of door, in car there is only one door is provided. The entire portion of car like steering wheel, instrument panel are hinged and are swing upward for allowing the passenger and driver to have access.

If the vehicle met with an accident then the passengers have to escape from the canvas sunroof. There is only one model of car in which this type of door was provided which is BMW Isetta 600.

Advantage:

• It can be parked easily in tight parking place.

Disadvantage:

• It can be parked in tight space but if they are parked close to the car in front then it is difficult to open the door of the car.

10. Sliding Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

These door are very popularly provided in minivans, cargo vehicles and commercial buses. Entering and exiting of passengers are very easy and can offer easy loading and off loading of goods.

These doors are mounted on track and the track is situated on side of vehicle. They can be opened very easily just by sliding the door backward and are very handy when vehicle need to be parked in tight space.

The popular type of sliding door pens outwards, pens backward at the track provided along with the vehicle and three point suspensions. This type of doors is introduced by the Volkswagen Ag in market.

Advantage:

• Loading and unloading of goods and the passengers can be done easily.
• It can be easily parked in the place of tight parking.

Disadvantage:

• Installation of this type of doors is very expensive.
• Narrow tolerance to the door mechanism as compared to the conventional hinged door.

11. Canopy Door: ( Types of Car Doors )

This type of doors are not that much popular as compared to the other type of doors. It is a peculiar door which was inspired from the jet fighters doors and therefore they open in upward.

They are also known as connected canopy, cockpit canopy and bubble canopy, this doors rest on top of the car. The roof, sides and the windshield of the car are one unit which is made up of glass. Hinge in these doors can be at back, front or side anywhere and they move upward, forwards or sideways for easy access of the passengers.

Advantage:

• A pillar is not required because they have no side door. Therefore the windshield in this car can be extended from back to front which allow 180 degree vision for the drivers.
• These doors do not create problem in opening as compared to the traditional door at the time of opening outward which leads to the obstruction to the road or pavement.

Disadvantage:

• As the car has glass design then air conditioning is must for overcome the effect of greenhouse effect.
• If the car met with an accident then it is impossible for the passengers to get out of the vehicle until they broke the glass.
• Sometime entering and exiting from the vehicle can be difficult when the sill is high.
• When weather is bad like snow, rain, hail then exiting and entering in the vehicle without wetting the interior is not possible.