Scissor doors (also beetle-wing doors, jack-knife doors, switchblade doors, Lamborghini doors , and Lambo doors) are automobile doors that rotate vertically at a fixed hinge at the front of the door, rather than outwardly as with a conventional door.
The first vehicle to feature scissor doors was the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car, designed by Bertone's Marcello Gandini.
The door style was dictated by Gandini's desire for an innovative
design, and by his concern over the car's extremely poor rear
visibility. In order to reverse the car, the driver would be able to
lift the door and lean his upper body out of the hatch in order to see
behind the car. The first production car to feature the doors was a Lamborghini, Gandini's Countach;
the sports car's wide chassis created similar problems to those found
on the Carabo, calling for the unusual door configuration. The doors
were used on the Countach's successor, the Diablo, on its replacement, the Murciélago, and on a low-production run derivative of the Murciélago called the Reventón.[2]
Having used the exotic door style for several of its cars, the Italian
manufacturer has become synonymous with the implementation of scissor
doors, which are sometimes colloquially referred to as "Lambo doors"
The first vehicle to feature scissor doors was the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car, designed by Bertone's Marcello Gandini.
The door style was dictated by Gandini's desire for an innovative
design, and by his concern over the car's extremely poor rear
visibility. In order to reverse the car, the driver would be able to
lift the door and lean his upper body out of the hatch in order to see
behind the car. The first production car to feature the doors was a Lamborghini, Gandini's Countach;
the sports car's wide chassis created similar problems to those found
on the Carabo, calling for the unusual door configuration. The doors
were used on the Countach's successor, the Diablo, on its replacement, the Murciélago, and on a low-production run derivative of the Murciélago called the Reventón.[2]
Having used the exotic door style for several of its cars, the Italian
manufacturer has become synonymous with the implementation of scissor
doors, which are sometimes colloquially referred to as "Lambo doors"Advantages
- Offers the possibility of operating the car with the door open, in a manner that would be difficult or impossible in a car with conventional doors.
- Because the doors stay within the car's track throughout their range of movement, they are useful when parking in tight spaces. A gullwing door style offers similar visibility, but the doors swing out from the car's area slightly.
- The hinge is placed in a similar location to a conventional door, so a convertible version of the car is possible with the same door style.
- Reduces the dooring hazard to cyclists.
