The gullwing door originated with the Mercedes-Benz 300SL however has been copied a number of occasions. This time it is Ford that’s considering gullwing doorways for future automobiles.

First noticed by Motor1, a Ford patent utility title “aspect door for a automobile” was printed by the USA Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) Apr. 20, 2023 after being filed in October 2021. It describes a brand new form of gullwing door design, with an SUV used as an instance it.

Ford gullwing door patent picture

The Tesla Mannequin X options the automaker’s personal model of gullwing doorways, which it calls falcon doorways, however Ford’s idea is a bit totally different. The place the Mannequin X has typical entrance doorways and rear falcon doorways, the patent utility reveals one large gullwing door for the passenger’s aspect of the automobile, with a traditional door for the motive force.

This uneven association seems to be a consequence of the door’s form. The Mannequin X has a number of hinged sections that enable its doorways to open roughly straight up. Ford’s model solely hinges alongside the roof centerline, making a clamshell form that includes a part of the roof into the door.

Ford gullwing door patent picture

One potential good thing about a gullwing door design for SUVs is a much bigger opening, making it simpler for passengers to get out and in. The drawings additionally seem to point out the movable in-vehicle desk from one other latest Ford patent submitting, a mixture that might make for an excellent tailgating setup.

As with all patent functions, although, there is no such thing as a assure that this gullwing door design will attain manufacturing. If nothing else, the {hardware} for such a door would most likely be fairly complicated, which might trigger reliability points. That is one thing Tesla discovered the onerous method with its setup (which could clarify why they have been restricted to the Mannequin X), as did DeLorean and Bricklin with their gullwing sports activities vehicles earlier than it.