Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[rjt10/4]

what are peoples experience with suicide doors I remember my dad had a Morris 8 e that would never get back from Brighton without the door flying open to my knowledge the Rover p4 was the last car made with suicide doors

[Keith D]

The Riley RM series had the rear hinged doors on the front. My brother almost lost his lady friend when she used the door handle instead of the window winder. The door flew back and damaged the hinges as well as putting a nasty dent in the rear mudguard. Fortunately he was able to grab her arm while he stopped the car.

Keith
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1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[peter scott]

Entry and exit was supposed to be easier with rear hinged doors. My SS has all the doors rear hinged but I can't say that I agree with this first assertion. It's neither easier nor more difficult, just different.

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[mikeC]

Peter, presumably you don't wear a tight skirt? I think the idea was that it was easier to enter and exit for a lady wearing fashionable clothes - it was possible to sit on the seat and then insert both legs together, whereas with a front-hinged door the usual technique is to insert one leg, then follow with body and second leg ...
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[Rick]

The modern-day R-R Phantom has suicide doors to the rear compartment, if that counts?

RJ
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[peter scott]

[petelang]

Wow, that's quite some wedding Peter. Was the open top bus for the guests?
Peter

[peter scott]

It was a big wedding but the photos are deceptive. It was in St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh which is centrally located in the High Street. In fact most of the wedding guests were already in the cathedral and the crowd were simply tourists interested in what was going on. The open top bus was unconnected but the coaches behind the wedding cars (below) were to transfer the guests to the reception.

My cousin kindly agreed to act as chauffeur for my car and a friend who owned the black car (in the photo below) kindly agreed to do the same for the bridesmaids.

Peter


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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Ashley]

Lovely photos. I'm sure everyone knows, but Rolls-Royce bought a 3.5litre version of one of PF,those SS to compare with the Derby Bentley. The thatter was £1400 with arguably less well proportioned coachwork by Mulliner and the Jaguar was £400. They couldn't really fault it. I saw the works report on it some years ago.

However they did drive it round Brooklands flat out until it dropped a valve and then sent a bill for £40.00 to William Lyons asking him to honour the guarantee. Luckily he knew what they'd been up to and declined.

[peter scott]

Thanks Ashley,

The pictures date from 16 years ago. My friend David standing beside the black car restored it over a period many years. The car is a 3.5 litre and was a "company car" for Arthur Whittaker who had been purchasing manager and became Deputy Chairman of SS Cars. David sold it more than 10 years ago but it came up for sale again recently and was bought by Whittaker's three granddaughters.

http://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2017-03-04/cars/ref-36-1948-jaguar-mk-iv,-35-litre-saloon.aspx

https://www.jaguarmagazine.com/jaguar-directors-grandchildren-buy-mkiv-saloon/

Peter
_________________
http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[mikeC]

Thank you, Peter, I was hoping for a response like that
_________________
in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[47Jag]

My suicide door story:-
In 1960 my first car was a '48 Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon and I would drive anyone anywhere for petrol money. A friend who owned the cafe we hung around had asked me to take his wife and new baby to his in-laws about 30 miles away. That part of the job was uneventful but I had to go back in the afternoon and bring the wife and baby home. He decides he is going to to come with me and as we are bowling along he asks "what will she do?" I said "the TON". He says "show me". So the boot goes to the board, we are on a dual carriageway heading downhill and as the speedo climbs near the indicated 100mph (probably a true 80) the bu**er pulls the door handle thinking it's the window handle The car does an almost immediate left turn with me on opposite lock and hard on the brakes. Fortunately the check strap broke, slamming the door into the rear door and neutralising the drag. After what seemed like an eternity I got the car stopped and asked in best Anglo Saxon what he thought he was playing at. He told me he wanted to flick his fag out of the window. I pointed out the two ashtrays on the dash and the big hole where the sun-roof was open. I think I was paid £1 plus an extra pound for a replacement door from the 'scrappie'.

Art

[lowdrag]

Surely one of the last car made with suicide doors was the Mazda RX8? I was out in one the other week and amazed when I saw we had hit the rev limiter at 9,000rpm.

Then I remember the Vauxhalls which had suicide doors, as did so many cars back when I had all my marbles and played with them.

[alastairq]

Early FIAT 500s & 650s [late 1950's] had suicide doors..IIRC?

[Penman]

Hi
Don't the RX8 and other moderns with the rear doors hinged to the rear require that the front door(front hinged) to be open before the rear door is opened?
If so, they don't really fit the bill as suicide doors.
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