Posted on 12/17/2018 8:33:35 AM PST by NRx
Once deemed dangerous, suicide doors are making a comeback on the Lincoln Continental.
Ford is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the long-lived luxury Lincoln line by making 80 cars in 2019 with the classic center-opening doors that once served as the signature of the Continental.
The doors are not just a gimmick or aesthetic flourish. By opening toward the rear of the car, they allow passengers in the rear seats to enter and exit the vehicle more comfortably. Passengers don't have to lean forward to push the door open or pull it closed, for example.
The design was featured commonly on horse carriages, hence the name "coach doors." Over time they had come to be called "suicide doors," thanks to the danger of the wind forcing the rear door open while driving at high speeds, according to automotive historians. This was particularly dangerous in the era before seat belts.
More recent takes on the suicide door have incorporated safety features such as locking the door once the car reaches a certain speed.
Apart from the coach doors, the car's wheelbase will be 6 inches longer, which Lincoln said gives the rear seats more room. The car lights up as its driver approaches with a welcoming lighting sequence. The trim is Lincoln's best quality leathers and dash materials, its Black Label, which typically offers higher-quality materials and membership privileges, such as vehicle detailing and free car washes.
Sedans are a tough sell these days. Ford said it plans to all but stop making them over the next several years, with the exception of its Mustang sports car.
But this version of the Continental is more of a specialty sedan, and sales of those are still relatively healthy, said Robert Parker, director of marketing, sales and service at Lincoln.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Now I’m just waiting for the return of running boards and hood ornaments.
How about a pair of fender-mounted spare tires ?
Hand cranked starter.
Tail fins.
“More recent takes on the suicide door have incorporated safety features such as locking the door once the car reaches a certain speed. “
My Mustang does that!
The doors are not just a gimmick or aesthetic flourish. By opening toward the rear of the car, they allow passengers in the rear seats to enter and exit the vehicle more comfortably.
The Mustang is a sedan?
I though they already made a comeback on the RX8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_door
The primary benefit seems to be a missing B pillar.
I hate that blind spot.
In a rollover accident that thing will tear apart like a beer can!
I know that time has sometimes left me feeling like it has taken off and left me stranded somewhere... sort of my own version of Sleeper. Who knew? How long has it been a sedan?
Can we get real bumpers back? You know, the ones you can bump that actually protect the car?
More recent takes on the suicide door have incorporated a safety feature such that the rear door cannot be opened until the corresponding front door has been opened.
You see this on extended cab pickup trucks, the Honda Elememt, and the Toyota FJ. Some passenger cars also included a passenger side only third door that opened suicide but didn't open until the front passenger door was opened.
If only it could be a design like this without a B-pillar.... The Continental that will be in production still has a center pillar, probably for rigidity and crash-protection reasons.
Ford cars are crap and breakdown early.
All they have are gimmicks, it seems n
“Can we get real bumpers back? You know, the ones you can bump that actually protect the car?”
Personally, I miss the steel dashboard and non-collapsable steering column.
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