It seems that alot of European and Australian 'rods and musclecars have 4 doors. Can anyone explain why? Is it personal preference or production numbers or a different tradition evolved? Happy Holidays.
most of the American cars built and sold new in Oz were 4doors.. there were some 2door Aussie muscle cars like the Monaro, Torana, Charger, Valiant (dodge dart), and mid 70s falcons... but in terms of Chevys, Pontiacs, Buicks, Fords pretty much all of them were 4doors unless they were either special ordered or imported
The real reason is that the Brits and Auzzies call 4 doors saloon cars. You can get more people in them while you cruz the pubs all evening. Gary
2 door cars were just fine in America's booming auto-oriented economy but in the smaller and less affluent parts fo the world cars were a matter of practicality and 4 doors make sense with work and kids and family and most efficient use. You'll notice most foreign cars are undersized compared to American cars too.
The main issue is the cars had to be useful, not just something to blast around in. Most people could only afford one car so they got the utility of 4 doors for the family and the go as well in the same package. This is also why we got coupe utes, the ute for work and the coupe for taking the wife to church on sunday. Most of our two doors represent a later time in our muscle car era, once the nations financial state had climbed and people could afford a second car. There was just sweet FA 2doors made down here, I honestly dont understand the US hatred of 4 door cars. The 57 Chev only looks right as a 4 door to me, the rest look un-proportional.
No real hatred for four doors. It's just they were something your parents/grand parents would buy. Though, I've owned plenty of four door cars, I still prefer a station wagon for practicality!
I suppose you're talking about 'imported American cars' into Europe? If so, then there's only one reason... They're cheap(er). Considering the costs of all the transport and customs-shit around importing a car, most folks just decide their budget can only get a cheaper car shipped and they opt for that still affordable 4dr and have fun with that old American car. Of course I like 2dr-cars best, but only if they are hardtops. I don't care much for a 2dr sedan and would MUCH rather get a 4-dr Hardtop instead. (at least IMO, the 'Hardtop' Chryslers had still nice rooflines in the late 50s & 60s.)
I think even here the notion that only 2 doors are sporty is changing. A lot of younger folks I know couldn't care less if a cool car has 2 or 4 doors. In fact I would say most of them prefer a 4 door.
Even in the states, more 4 doors are and have always been sold than 2 doors. The reasons are the same here or there or everywhere; practicality, utility and cost. Coupes and 2 doors are big among enthusiasts because of style and scarcity and because since the 50's we've always been sold on the ideas of that 'second car' or the idea of 'personal luxury' which were both packaged as 2 doors. I thank Mr. Earl and Mr Exner for that. The reality, as most know, however, is that every where you go you see more 4 doors that coupes and 2 doors.
It is just production numbers here in New Zealand, where we imported Canadian bodied cars in parts and assembled them locally. Model A's came in most body styles. Early V8's were available in most body styles but as the thirties moved on the majority were 4 doors followed by coupes and some 2 door sedans. Post war was pretty much just 4dr sedans, apart from 46-48 Ford Coupes which were quite common. From 49 to the late sixties, it was pretty much all 4 door sedans apart from special orders and private imports. Ford sold a few 2 door Ranchwagons and some Aussie bodied utes in 55/56. By the late sixties, pretty much all our bigger cars came from Aussie and they were mostly all 4 doors.
I would rather not own an American sedan, but I more than gladly have bought a Aussie 4dr,......a(ot) Pontiac g8. After years of seeing those guys go crazy for 4drs I had to find out for myself. I love it by the way!! FLIP
Another factor is that European manufacturers went for unitary construction in a much bigger way while the US big three (or at least GM and Ford) were using perimeter frames. The European market required sharp handling, and the dominant tendency in suspension design made high levels of torsional rigidity necessary. The North American market favoured ride more, making the isolation offered by body-on-frame construction an advantage. So, European bodies were structural while American bodies weren't, and it's a lot more expensive to tool up for a structural body than for a non-stuctural body. European manufacturers couldn't afford to make so many body styles, so four-doors tended to predominate. The near universal adoption of unitary construction is also why the variety of American body styles has diminished since c.1980. There are a number of European cars it's a pity were never available as two-doors. I'd like to see a two-door BMW 5-series MkI, for example, or for strangeness a three-door Renault 16?
lol True conversation, with someone wanting a ride in my 2 door hardtop Nova; "Hey man can I get a ride?" -Some guy "The front seats are filled" -Me "I'll sit in the back, I dont mind"-Some guy "Sorry man, id give you a ride but id have to get out and fold the seat forward" -Me "Cant you just bend forward and i'll squeeze in" -Some guy "You want me to bend over?" -Me "Yea..." -Some guy "Do you want to ride in the trunk?" -Me
With 8 American cars and only one 4-door i can tell you it is a personal preference to have a 2 door because i like them more. 6 of those 8 cars were sold new in Europe and they are all 2-door models. I have to agree it's easier to find a 4-door than a 2-door ,most 50's cars in Holland were sold new as a 4-door but most 50's cars that are at the moment in Holland are at least 80% imported from the US since most of the Dutch cars have rusted away.
Here in New Zealand we had mainly four doors. Most tudors here are recent imports. The reason for this was political. The gummint in its infinite wisdom (translated... bunch of fuckwits) ruled that brand new cars could only be purchased with offshore funds. The majority of people with offshore funds were farmers, and farmers liked four door cars because they could throw a couple of bales of hay in the back seat, or a couple of rolls of fencing wire, calves, lambs, whatever. Tudors were no use to farmers whatsoever. We also had a large percentage, maybe 80%, of cars of British origin, though this reduced in the 50s and 60s as Aussie built Holdens, Falcons and Valiants became more common. By the end of the 60s there were very few US cars coming in to NZ. The Aussie cars had almost completely taken their place.
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