Suicide doors

[RandalPark@xxxxxxx]

That is correct. Doors that open in such a way that if they were ajar and the 
car was moving, that the wind could catch and open them, are in fact called 
suicide doors. I don't think anyone actually committed suicide in this way, but 
it could be said that opening the door while the car was in motion would be 
"like committing suicide". This was since the wind would pull the door off the 
car, and possibly the passenger along with it, if they hung onto the door 
handle. Lincolns and four door Thunderbirds in the '60s had a door ajar warning 
light for this reason. 

In the '30s, some cars had the front doors opening in this way while the rear 
ones were conventional. Were any '30s Chryslers or Imperials set up this way? 
I'll have to take a look in my old "70 Years of Chrysler" book.

Paul

 In a message dated 3/22/2004 8:04:27 PM Eastern Standard Time, DavisADM writes:

> Who says that suicide dorrs applies only to the front doors.  So, yes, 
>Lincolns and T-birds had suicide doors!
> 
> 
> In a message dated 03/22/2004 11:45:53 AM, 
> imperial1971@xxxxxxxxx writes:
> 
> 
> 
> The Engel-designed '64-'66 Imperials were never
> offered with suicide doors.  And neither were the
> '61-'69 Lincolns.  Lincoln (and Thunderbird for a few
> years) used a center-opening design, which is rather
> different than the "suicide" design, in which the
> front door opens from the FRONT.
> 
> But, much like the misuse of "Kelsey Hayes" for the
> Motor Wheel wire wheels, the misuse of "suicide doors"
> has stuck.
> 
> Elijah