The Way Doors Should Work

[Cliff]

This is the way that car doors should be designed to work...

Door In Operation

[aerobat]

Wow!!

What will they think of next?

(Looks like one more piece of mechanical motors to break down, but I like it. Seems practical if it's not raining . . . )

[Gasman GT3]

OMG how cool is that!!

[red vtec]

Cool, but dont fancy the side impact protection!!.

looks like it might be a vinyl skin?

[karluk29]

that kicks ass!!!!!!!

off to bodyshop lol

[Backmarker]

Hmmm just needs a theme tune.

Very cool indeed.

Graham

[talon]

That was a Lincoln that popped up on eBay last year. It had been commisioned by Lincoln as a show car.

Ahh yes, here it is:

Lincoln executives were concerned about the heavy and wide doors on the Mark VIII in the early 1990's especially in large cities with tight parking spots. They were toying with the idea of a Mark VIII that had doors that disappeared beneath the car which would require no additional space for the doors to swing open in order to allow the occupant to exit or enter. Back in the day, the major auto makers would sub-contract their concept designs to other engineering firms who specialiazed in auto concepts and executions. In this particular case, this Lincoln Mark VIII was shipped over to Joalto Design Inc. near Detroit...who created this amazing, one of a kind concept car and shipped it back to Lincoln for executive approval...Unfortunately, the Ford Motor Company executives did not like the design and ordered the car (and the concept) to be sent to the junkyard and destroyed. The current owner had been tracking this car for nearly 20 years and finally convinced the previous owner to part with it."

If I remember correctly, at the time of the sale the drivers door did not function...

Edited September 24, 2007 by talon

[mangel]

Mucho, coolio!!

[Atle]

What if the door accidentally closes while you are straddled across the entrance?

[talon]

It would leave you err, 'not so mucho coolio'! :-0

[Splashout]

Didnt the BMW Z1 have something similar where the door disapeared into the sill?

[USAndretti42]

Yes they did and here it is.

Don't fancy the Linclon's chances of complying with the rules where the doors have to open after a crash. Still, I suppose a quick slash with a Stanley knife would get you out if it's made of vinyl. And a quick slash with a Stanley knife would get you in if you wanted to nick the radio.

[mangel]

'What if the door accidentally closes while you are straddled across the entrance?'

Then you have to change your name to:-

Howard U. Chopurbollokov

[WayneB]

The tailgates on early to mid 1970's GM full size station wagons worked in exactly the same fashion with the glass powering up into the roof and the lower gate part dissapearing into a cavity under the floor. I saw one apart and they used a power window rack and motor to do the job.

Edited September 25, 2007 by WayneB

[rip]

Imagine the problems you would get with that:

The door would get stuck halfway open/closed.

Something would get a little out of alignment, and you would get a nice, deep vertical scratch on the door.

Looks good though. No more scratched doors on the garage wall.