Over the years, the automobile has evolved exponentially. The design of cars has also evolved, with many features coming and going. One of the more notable design elements that aren’t as widespread in modern days are the suicide doors. Here’s everything you need to know about them.
History
Suicide doors date back to the early 20th century, in the early years of the automobile. }} Although at that time, manufacturers had already started experimenting with the design, early automobiles still looked very similar to horse-drawn carriages, minus the horse, of course. In the early 20th century, cars were still a novelty and were too expensive to the general public. As such, carriage designers often turned to architects, in order to come up with a design, suitable for a high-end product.
French-style Doors
A design element, heavily featured in architecture are the French-style doors, which is, essentially, two adjacent doors that open outwards from the middle. To this day, French doors are perceived as some of the most elegant and stylish, as well as a symbol of wealth, which is why carriage builders adopted them for use in automobiles.
In the early 20th century, cars were still referred to as “horseless carriages”. The French-style doors transitioned to the automobile and slowly adopted the name coach doors, which is what the Lincoln Continental suicide doors are called, to this day.
Safety Risks of Suicide Doors
As the automobile evolved, it became more mass-produced, and more widely accessible, eventually replacing the horse-drawn carriage completely. With this came more horsepower, which also increased the risk of accidents and injuries. The 1960s are mostly known for the horsepower wars and the Muscle cars (some would say, they are one and the same), where cars were capable of immense performance, but many still didn’t have seatbelts.
In 1965, a man named Ralph Nader, concerned about road safety, published a book called “Unsafe at any speed”. While some associate the book with describing the rear-engine Chevrolet Corvair as an atrocious vehicle, it actually listed every unsafe aspect of American vehicles, while accusing carmakers of not being willing to put safety features as standard. }
Among the many design flaws that hinder safety, listed in Nader’s book were the suicide doors. Because they are hinged at the rear, suicide doors pose a potential risk to occupants and pedestrians. Because suicide doors were popular in times when cars did not have seatbelts, the chances of falling out when opening a suicide door were much greater.
Another safety risk is when opening a suicide door without awareness of one’s surroundings. If another vehicle hits a rear-hinged door while someone is entering or exiting the vehicle on the offside, the suicide door can hit or even trap the passenger between the door and the car’s bodywork, causing potentially fatal injuries.
Suicide door cars were unsafe for the pedestrians too. A passenger exiting a car via a suicide door has a greater chance of hitting a pedestrian, standing near the outside of the car, potentially pushing him/her onto a busy road, causing an accident. On the plus side, people who own cars with suicide doors, often have chauffeurs that open the door for them.
Why are they called Suicide Doors?
It’s quite an extreme moniker, especially when compared to butterfly doors – another distinctive type of door, due to the way they open. The name “suicide doors” comes from the many design flaws that can cause potential harm to passengers or bystanders. In theory, a suicide door that is not well-closed may open at high speeds, causing a person to fall out. If the airstream is too strong, it can even sheer the door off the car’s body sending it into another car’s windshield. Actually, a 1969 Consumer report addressed a similar issue with the Subaru 360.
Advantages of Suicide Doors
Despite the name and potential hazards, not all is bad with suicide doors. For one, they allow for much easier access to the car interior. Suicide doors also allow chauffeurs easier access to the rear door handle, allowing them to open the rear door without stepping out of the vehicle.
In many cases, suicide doors mean more interior space. Being hinged at the rear, this allows many cars to do away with the B-pillar. Of course, nowadays, a B-pillar is vital for safety, which is why you won’t see a modern-day suicide door car without one.
Another plus to suicide doors is that they make installing a baby seat easier, due to the easier access they provide. This, technically, makes suicide door cars more practical for families with babies.
Suicide Doors Today
Suicide doors may have been popular once, but they are far from mainstream today, unlike some other types, like the butterfly doors, largely present on supercars. For a while, the design element went extinct, but a few manufacturers brought back suicide doors in some of their models, with one manufacturer even featuring them on all its models. There are a few cars from the 21st century that feature suicide doors.
Rolls Royce – All Current Models
Rolls Royce is known for its ultra-luxurious British cars, even after BMW’s acquisition, in 2003. Currently, all Rolls Royce models feature suicide doors. This also includes the two-door models like the Rolls Royce Wraith,Dawn, and all its other derivatives. Currently, it’s the only car company to feature an entire lineup of suicide door cars. This started in 2003, with the Rolls Royce Phantom.
Mazda RX-8
Going back a few years, the rotary-powered RX-8 never quite managed to achieve the iconic status of its predecessor, the RX-7. Regardless, it tried to offer a bit more practicality, by featuring small rear suicide doors. The only difference here was that you needed to open the front, full-size doors first, which reveals the hidden door handles for the small suicide doors. Suicide doors of similar design have also been introduced on the Mazda MX-30 – the Japanese brand’s first EV. Both Mazda models do not feature a B-pillar.
Lincoln Continental
The Lincoln Continental suicide doors are actually referred to as coach doors, by Lincoln, as it is their original name, from when suicide doors first made it onto the automobile. The latest-generation Lincoln Continental suicide doors are just as stylish as on the classic models and certainly don’t look out of place, even on a car made in 2020.
Toyota FJ Cruiser
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a very capable and desired, retro-futuristic SUV, styled after the original Toyota Land Cruiser 40 Series, from 1960. Unlike the classic, the modern interpretation features the quirky suicide doors, but you need to open the front ones first, in order to open the rear ones, just like on the Mazda RX-8 and MX-30. Nevertheless, the rear-hinged doors provide easier access to the second row, without the need of folding front seats, like in a sports car. Like the Mazda RX-8 and MX-30, the FJ Cruiser does not have a B-pillar.
BMW i3
BMW also features suicide doors on one of its models. While the i8 features butterfly doors, as befits a sports car, its smaller hybrid sibling, the i3 features rear suicide doors, for easier access to the rear seats. Like most other vehicles we mentioned, you need to open the front doors first and it does not have a B-pillar. While the butterfly doors on the i8 are cooler, the i3’s suicide doors actually provide more functionality.
Q&A
Which Tesla has butterfly doors?
The Tesla Model X features what the company refers to Falcon doors. However, while some refer to them as butterfly doors, the way they open is actually closer to that of the gull-wing doors, like the ones on a Mercedes 300SL or more recently the Mercedes SLS AMG.
What are the different types of doors on a car?
So far, 9 different types of car doors have been classified – conventional (most vehicles), scissor (“Lambo”) doors, suicide doors, swan doors, butterfly doors, sliding doors, pocket doors, canopy doors, gull-wing doors, and dihedral doors.
What are the doors of a car called?
The door of a car does not have a specific name. It’s generally referred to as a car door. With regards to where on the car it is, it can be front, rear door, or a tailgate, also known as a trunk lid or a rear hatch (if it opens together with the rear windshield – hatchback-style).
What is the difference between butterfly doors and suicide doors?
Butterfly doors open upwards and outwards while suicide doors are hinged at the rear and open opposite to a conventional door (which is what most cars have). Cars that have butterfly doors are McLaren P1, McLaren F1, Toyota GT-One, Ferrari Enzo, Saleen S7, and others. Cars with suicide doors include Mazda RX-8, Lincoln Continental, Rolls Royce Wraith, Rolls Royce Phantom, Mazda RX-30, BMW i3, Toyota FJ Cruiser, and others.
What is the difference between scissor doors and butterfly doors?
Scissor doors swing up vertically while butterfly doors swing upwards and outwards at the same time. Scissor doors have many names, such as Lambo doors, switchback doors, wing doo, and others. Most Lamborghini models feature scissor doors. Butterfly doors can be seen on all McLaren models, currently on sale.
Why are they called butterfly doors?
Butterfly doors get their nickname from the way they open, which resembles the wings of a butterfly.
Can any car have butterfly doors?
In theory, yes. While very few cars feature butterfly doors from factory, conversion kits can be found or fabricated.
What are suicide doors?
Suicide doors are doors that are rear-hinged and open opposite, compared to the conventional doors on most cars.
Are suicide doors illegal?
Despite the controversial name, no. However, if they are not standard on your car, keep in mind certain countries may have laws against aftermarket modifications, which extend to the doors.
How to install suicide doors?
Usually, it involves a lot of modifications, sometimes, irreversible. Essentially, you have to switch from front hinges to rear hinges, but that’s only the beginning, as the door-opening mechanism also needs to be relocated.
Why did old car doors open backwards?
Suicide doors are a design element inspired by French doors, found in many expensive houses. To this day, it is a symbol of wealth and style. Because cars were accessible only to the rich, suicide doors, effectively became the automotive equivalent of French doors.
What year did they stop making suicide doors on cars?
By the late 1960s, suicide doors were banned from car production, as their design was recognized as potentially life-threatening.
