Scissor doors

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scissor doors, also called Jackknife doors or Lambo doors, are automobile doors that rotate up and forward on a hinge near the front of the door.

This form of door was first introduced in the Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car, designed by Marcello Gandini. Gandini used the same doors in the Lamborghini Countach whose wide chassis mandated this unusual door configuration. The design was carried forward to the Countach's successor, the Lamborghini Diablo. The only current Lamborghini in production which uses this design is the Murciélago.

This design combines some of the advantages of a conventional door and the traditional gullwing door. The door can open upward rather than outward, which is important in wide cars. The hinge is in a similar location as a conventional door, so a convertible version of the car is not prevented by the door design.

The disadvantage is that the door still impedes access/egress much more than a gullwing and, in some cases, more than a conventional door.

This type of door is usually used in high end supercars and has become synonymous with Lamborghini, however, it has gained popularity as an aftermarket conversion for less exotic automobiles. Most aftermarket scissor doors are designed to initially open slightly outward before opening upward to allow the top edge of the door to clear the door frame and A-pillar. Some aftermarket examples are also designed to open both vertically and horizontally.