Wheels: The evolution of car doors

Doors are necessary for secure ingress and egress of a structure. They’ve also been used literally and metaphorically in everything from songs to poems to movies and even as the name of a popular '60s rock band. Cars (the name of a popular ’80s rock band) have had doors since around 1923, when they regularly began appearing on production automobiles. But no one really knows when they were invented.  Nineteenth-century automobile pioneers were more concerned with propelling a buggy than comfort, safety or security.

Car doors have taken on different styles and sizes over the years, and often, the number of the doors is dictated by the style of the car — form over function, though not always. Doorless vehicles were the earliest and survived throughout the evolution of the automobile as a simple means of accessing the interior of a vehicle.