Automotive Designs: Exterior Car Door Handles


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Many of us go ga ga over a car design but seldom we praise a designer over door handle design.With this thread I will focus on the evolution of the humble car door handle and its many avatars

Types of door handles.

1. Lever type- It was the earliest and the most common type of car door handle prior to 1950s.Seen in almost all cars produced prior to 1950s like 1948 Morris Minor
2IyCI.jpg

2. Push button type- seen cars produced since early 1950s and even present till right upto late 1990s in American cars like Cadillac Seville and Bentley and Rolls Royce cars
BAhDI.jpg
However, best example of this is found in door handles in India is HM Ambassador(1954-1997) , Fiat 1100 and trucks made by Tata and AL3. Lift Back type - In 1960s , This type of door handles become Popular due to safety concerns in EU and Australia for pedestrian safety.It is now the most common type of door handle found in cars today from the Cheap Maruti Alto to to most expensive cars like Ferrari 458 has it.
gsVE8.jpg 4. Pull type - In 1970s this type of Door handle was popularized by Mercedes Benz and Mercedes Benz W123 was one of the first cars with this type of door handles.This door handle is now synonymous with premiumness and if premium car does not have it is considered quite downmarket.This type of door handle is seen in Maruti Swift , VW Golf , VW Polo,BMW cars
IULk1.jpg 5.Other types of door handles and variants-There are some new type of door handles which are variants of lift back and combination of lift and pull type of door handles , variants of pull type push button door handles and some are totally different and seen in a single model only

Some pictures of various types of car door handles and its many avatars

  • 2000 Dodge Viper door handle
OCbcV.jpg
  • 1970s Lincoln car door handle
KU4Mx.jpg
  • Fiat Brachetta's door handle
XHa16.jpg
  • Aston martin Vantage door handle
D9Mhd.jpg
  • a type of pull type door handle with push button entry - 2008 Lincoln car
k95TC.jpg
  • Mercedes Benz 300 SLR car door handle
rxPsa.jpg

Some Miscellaneous door handle pictures

99Ppr.jpg mjtdL.jpg Wipey.jpg yiWzx.jpg

[ Disclaimer -This is an original independently researched topic.Any similarities is purely coincidental]
(Source for pictures - various websites.)
 
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re: Automotive Designs: Door handles (Exterior)

Very nice thread , some of the above cars have really cool door handles!


Rated 5 stars!
 

350Z

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Re: Automotive Designs: Door handles (Exterior)

Nice thread. Here is Chevy Beat back door handle. I don think any other Indian car has this type of handle. Correct me if am wrong
 

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Thread Starter #7
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Re: Automotive Designs: Door handles (Exterior)

@350Z - Thats a Nissan 350Z door handle[clap]
I saw the threads you mentioned in your post - thats what separate us from other forums - Appreciating minute things about cars not just design as whole[thumbsup]

@carfreak - it is a lift back type of door handle but the placement is unique and yes it is found only in Chevrolet Beat and in Chevrolet Sonic.
 
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Re: Automotive Designs: Door handles (Exterior)

Excellent thread Cortina, a lot of hardwork put into it.
My personal favorite would be the handles in HM amby! :P
 
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Thank you Mr.CORTINA.But I like the Lift-to-Open Door handles the Most.IMHO it feels way better than Pull-to-unlock Door handles.Thank you
 

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