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Move Your Car Doors Out of the Way
Jan 16 2008 by Courtney Messenbaugh
1/16/08
Now You See It, Now You Don't!
One of my biggest pet peeves in life is the shimmy-shuffle-squeeze-it-in dance I have to do around my car doors to get in and out when both my husband's car and mine are parked in our garage. The standard two-car garage just doesn't seem big enough for two cars, their owners, associated offspring, pets and gear. I inevitably knock myself on some protruding car part and/or get huge dirt swooshes across my clothes from rubbing up against either auto.
There are a couple solutions to this problem: Get a bigger garage, or purchase some Disappearing Car Doors. You've got to see this engineering wonder for yourself. JaTech, a Southern California company, took on the inconveniences of the car door and, voila! The Disappearing Car Door was born (after about 10 years of trying). These doors slide down and under your vehicle, enabling smooth entry and exit. They are, as the JaTech folks tell us, "cool, sexy, safe and convenient."
Think about it — no more worrying about dinging another car when you open your door in a parking lot (something I do all too often, shhh...). No more shimmy dance getting in and out in the garage. The door on the company's prototype vehicle is even wider than normal, improving access to the rear seats in a coupe. The promo video on the website shows a nice mommy easily pulling her baby from a car seat in the back of a two-door with plenty of room to spare. The bonuses seem to be endless!
According to JaTech, the Disappearing Car Door may even be safer than normal car doors. Company representative John Townsend said the prototype cars have completed "highly satisfactory" crash tests at a major Detroit equipment supplier, though no federal testing has taken place yet. When one of these doors is hit, it's easier for first responders to get at victims because the doors can be easily pulled outward and to the ground, as there are no hinges to hold the front end of the door in place.
The company says it can equip any vehicle model with Disappearing Car Doors, with installation estimated to take about one month, though John couldn't give a cost estimate yet. Smells expensive to me, not to mention giving up my car for a month. JaTech says it is in talks with auto manufacturers (no names yet) to include the innovative doors on factory vehicles. You'd so be the mac-mommy on your block if you were the first to get one of those.
User Comments
looks good until the 1st time you scrape the door on a rock or high manhole cover, and what if it’s raining and I don’t feel like getting my entire interior wet? That being said, this looks like it would be an excellent option for the physically challenged.
I’d like to see sliding doors on a compact coupe. It hasn’t been done since the Kaiser Darren. (Haha! Obscure Reference!)
wow. My neighbor needs this so they can stop hitting my car. Sounds like a great idea for big coupes.
So, it doesn’t work for us who lives in the snowy winter.
Thats a really god design but i suspect where wll you take that door once you put aside of car
I have a strong suspicion that this is a spoof.
The window are made of glass on cars and they wind down.
Where is all the mechanism ?
Car doors are thick and bulky.
Having said all of which where is the company web-site, I do not see one.
Ergo a Spoof.
I have a strong suspicion that this is a spoof.
The window are made of glass on cars and they wind down.
Where is all the mechanism ?
Car doors are thick and bulky.
Having said all of which where is the company web-site, I do not see one.
Ergo a Spoof.
The company’s name is JATECH. Supposedly they are a Southern California company, but I have not verified its existence. It seems like a lot of effort to go thru to be a spoof. They’d actually have to build one or do some serious video editing in order to make it appear real.
try looking for the website before saying there isn’t one
http://www.disappearing-car-door.com
Incredible! What a clever piece of engineering and it opens so quickly.
If they’re not too expensive I can see them catching on.