Pillar (car)
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An A-pillar is a name applied by car stylists and enthusiasts to the shaft of material that supports the windshield (windscreen) on either of the windshield frame sides. By denoting this structural member as the A-pillar, and each successive vertical support in the greenhouse after a successive letter in the alphabet (B-pillar, C-pillar etc.), this naming scheme allows those interested in car design to have points of reference when discussing design elements. The terms are also used by heavy rescue vehicle teams to discuss cutting vehicles open with the jaws of life.
It is not uncommon for this naming scheme to be used against a reference model with the A-pillar taken from the windscreen and the C-pillar to be taken as the last pillar regardless of the presence or absence of a B-pillar. Thus 2-door coupés can have references to the C-pillar even though there are only two in total.
In the most usual configuration, the C-pillar supports the rear window. However, depending on configuration, the final pillar can be B, D, or even higher in more extreme examples.
Occasionally cars have a break between windows or doors, but have no supporting material in the space. These non-supporting breaks are not considered to be pillars, and are skipped for purposes of the alphabetical naming scheme. Often these vehicles are known as pillarless hardtops.
With the introduction of monocoque design in automobiles, supporting pillars have become increasingly important, and nearly every visual break in a modern vehicle contains a supporting pillar.
Pillar is American English; the British terminology is post.
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