Re: Yet another attempt at gullwings....

["therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx>]

According to the article, it's a design that should make ingress, 
and egress of the vehicle much easier. Not exactly a new 
concept since it is something that the DeLorean owners have 
known for the past 21 years now... Another "feature" is that the 
tops are removable for storage in the trunk. If it looks like a duck, 
or in this case T-tops, it is.

>From a functional POV, it isn't a great design. The Bricklin doors 
are automatic, and the DeLorean doors have straps & handles 
to grip to close the door, but are mounted low enough to be 
within reach of the passenger. And when closed, the straps are 
not visible. These doors have neither feature, nor could they 
feasably have them. I'm not a betting man, but I'd say that the first 
complaint from owners will be pinching their fingers on the front 
portion of the glass when attempting to close the roof. 

Weather sealing is going to be another big problem. The hinges 
are exposed, wich means that the bolts holing them in are going 
to be MUCH more prone to rust. And the door sills would also 
need to be redesigned to accomodate the higher flow of water. 
Depending upon the size of the roof lip, and the location of the 
inner door seal, pressure washing is going to be out of the 
question. And depending upon the placement of the rubber 
seals, wind noise may become a problem.

Another thing to note would be the front glass. Since there is no 
"spider cage" to give extra support, there may be a problem with 
the windshields cracking. (this isn't a dig at anyone, just an 
observation from an engineering standpoint). If a person had 
difficulty getting in and out of the car, it can be assumed that they 
would have a larger build than the normal person, and thus 
weigh more. If they have a difficult time getting out, they may grab 
onto the corner of the windshield to pull themselves up. Without 
any reinforcements in the underbody, this could be a definate 
danger of cracking the windsheild glass. This I know because 
people who have gotten into my car, and are not used to t have 
grabbed this very same spot. I always tell them not too.

It just goes to show you that no matter how hard other car 
companies try, they can't match the DeLorean!


-Robert
vin 6585 "X"