6 Affordable Cars With Butterfly Doors
Surely you are too familiar with cars with a basic horizontal hinged door design. However, some supercar manufacturers have designed unique door types, adding a touch of attractiveness and style to the vehicle’s design, including the butterfly door model. Although the production cost of butterfly doors is very costly, the automakers have made efforts to optimize it for drivers who have an unhealthy budget. Let’s explore 6 affordable cars with butterfly doors and find your dream car without breaking your budget.
Butterfly Car Doors: Things You Need To Know
When it comes to “butterfly doors” we are sure that the first car you will think about is McLaren F1. The legendary McLaren F1 car has become the center of attention with its butterfly door opening. What’s interesting, however, is that it’s not the first car to adopt this design. The butterfly door was first used on the Alfa Romeo Stradale in 1969 before the Toyota Sera became the first mass-produced vehicle to use it. What are butterfly doors?
There are many types of cars with doors that open in an upward direction instead of outward, but butterfly doors have a special style that is very different from traditional scissor doors (like those found on Lamborghini models) although you can see similar concepts between these types of doors.
Butterfly doors are designed to move up and out at the same time using hinges positioned along the A-pillar of the vehicle. It is mainly used in high-end supercars for easy entry and exit. Opening the butterfly doors will require more vertical space than other door types. When fully opened, they resemble the shape of a butterfly’s wings, hence the name. This design provides a wide opening that allows for easier access to the interior of the vehicle, especially in tight spaces where traditional doors may be difficult to open fully. Butterfly doors are often seen in sports or luxury and they have been popularized by car manufacturers such as McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, and Koenigsegg, among others. While butterfly doors can be visually striking and appealing, they also require careful engineering and additional structural considerations to ensure proper functionality and safety.
Now, you may have a basic knowledge of “butterfly door”. Let’s move to the most looking forward part of this topic to find out what are the most affordable cars with butterfly door designs:
>> Read more: The Mighty Minivans: 5 Best Cars with Sliding Doors
Walking Around The 6 Affordable Cars With Butterfly Doors
1. Toyota Sera – Cheap cars with butterfly doors
Launched more than 30 years ago, the Toyota Sera is a stylish sports car with a butterfly-style door that is ahead of its time. First introduced in 1990, the Sera is a fastback, 2+2 seat, 3-door, butterfly door with futuristic styling that includes a glass roof and a weird tailgate. The Toyota Sera has only one engine option, a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with 104 hp and 131 Nm of torque, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic transmission. The Toyota Sera had a very light weight of only 890 kg thanks to the use of advanced lightweight structural technologies of the time. It was also one of the first models to feature projector headlights.
We can say that the Sera price is very affordable. You will need to pay from $16000 to $19000 to have a new Toyota Sera or from $4900 to buy a used Toyota Sera.
Although the Sera was a fun-loving economy car at that time, unfortunately, it ended up production in 1995 due to some factors of the Japanese economy in the 90s. During its short existence, it has left a lasting mark on the JDM community. It even appeared in several video games and is today a highly sought-after vehicle by collectors. A total of 15,941 units were produced during that six-year period.
2. Autozam AZ-1
The AZ-1 is a small two-seater sports car that was produced by Mazda from 1992 to 1994. Autozam was manufactured based on the combination of two automakers Mazda and Suzuki which have produced many Kei cars with impressive ideas and designs, of which the AZ-1 is a typical example. The AZ-1 uses a turbocharged 1.3L engine from Suzuki Cultus (later Swift) with an extremely impressive design when it is similar to the Ferrari F40 supercar in some points.
It was designed to be a kei car, which is a category of small, lightweight vehicle that is popular in Japan due to its tax and insurance benefits. The butterfly doors on the Autozam AZ-1 not only add to the car’s sporty and futuristic appearance but also serve a practical purpose. Due to the car’s small size, traditional doors would have been difficult to use, but the butterfly doors make it easy to get in and out of the car, even in tight parking spaces.
Now, the price of this car will range from $12737 to $60000, it’s very reasonable for drivers with a budget limit. However, the Autozam AZ-1 is a rare and highly sought-after car today, and its butterfly doors are one of the features that make it stand out from other small sports cars of its era.
The body is small, the engine provides a fast and good driving experience. Combined with a beautiful design, a supercar-like butterfly door, and the capacity for 2 adults.
3. Volkswagen XL1
Presented in 2013, not only has an eye-catching design with butterfly doors but is the most fuel-efficient mass-produced car in the world, with a fuel consumption of 261 mpg, equivalent to 0.9 l/100km, thanks to the plug-in hybrid drivetrain, outstanding aerodynamic performance and the use of small-width wheels. In fully electric mode, it can travel a distance of up to 50km. Using plastic with a carbon fiber core helps XL1 to be light in weight and reduce stress on the powertrain. The midsection and many other components are made of CFRP, a magnesium-aluminum structure, and the wheels are made of the same material. And light materials will help the car reduce a lot of weight.
The butterfly door design of the XL1 is also known as “gull-wing” doors. These doors are hinged at the roof and open upwards, creating a wide opening that makes it easier to get in and out of the car. The butterfly doors on the XL1 add to the car’s futuristic and aerodynamic appearance, while also contributing to its overall efficiency by reducing wind resistance. The design of the doors allows the XL1 to have a low coefficient of drag, which helps to improve its fuel efficiency even further. With the price starting from $115000, you can add the Volkswagen XL1 to your list of cars with butterfly doors.
4. BMW i8 – BMW butterfly doors
With a budget of $148495 (BMW i8 Coupe) and from $164295 (BMW i8 Roadster) you will have this butterfly door car. At this price, the BMW i8 offers you a car with a unique design for an affordable price compared to other supercars. The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car that was produced by the German car manufacturer BMW from 2014 to 2020. One of the unique features of the i8 is its butterfly doors, which open upwards and outwards.
The butterfly doors on the i8 are designed to complement the car’s futuristic look, and they also make it easier to get in and out of the vehicle in tight parking spaces. The doors are made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is a lightweight and strong material that helps to reduce the car’s weight and improve its performance.
In addition to its butterfly doors, the BMW i8 also features a sleek and aerodynamic body design, a 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine, an electric motor, and a lithium-ion battery pack. The combined power output of the engine and motor is 369 horsepower, which allows the i8 to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds. Overall, the BMW i8 is a unique and impressive car that combines sleek design, advanced technology, and high performance. Its butterfly doors are just one of the many features that make it stand out from other sports cars on the market.
5. McLaren Artura
If you are looking for the most affordable McLaren supercar, with a price of about $237,500, McLaren Artura is one of the perfect choices. McLaren Artura is a hybrid car and this is not the first time McLaren has introduced a hybrid sports car. Super product McLaren P1 launched in 2013, with limited production. McLaren Artura was officially launched in 2022 by the British auto brand.
Artura has the features of McLaren’s typical design, with curving lines, headlights with integrated air intakes, air vents placed on both sides of the body, slim taillights, and high exhaust doors. Thanks to its lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum alloy construction, Artura’s mass is just 1,500 kg – quite impressive for a sports car. Artura is equipped with McLaren’s first mid-mounted V6 internal combustion engine block, producing a maximum capacity of 585 horsepower and maximum torque of 584 Nm with an rpm limit of up to 8,500 rpm. The plug-in hybrid system consists of a 95-hp lightweight electric motor, which integrates directly into the transmission and is powered by a 7.4 kWh electric battery pack. Additionally, Artura’s combined power is up to 680 hp and 720 Nm of torque, which is transmitted to the rear wheels through an all-new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. With all these features and at that price level, McLaren Artura can be a good option for any car enthusiast.
6. Maserati MC20
The last butterfly car door in this list we will spend for Maserati MC20. MC20 was launched in September 2020, marking the beginning of a new era in Maserati. This is the first two-seater super sports car in 15 years since the MC12 was launched in 2004. The MC20 marks the company’s self-development, design, and manufacturing at its headquarters in Modena.
The name MC20 is an abbreviation of the word Maserati Corse (the high-performance car production division of the Italian car brand) and 20, i.e. 2020 – the time this model officially entered the global super sports car race. After 1 year of launch, Maserati MC20 quickly won many design awards such as the European Product Design Award, Red Dot Awards, and Festival Automobile International… The noblest is the Most Beautiful Supercar award in 2021.
Like the Volkswagen XL1, the Maserati MC20 features butterfly doors, which open upwards and create a wide opening for easy access to the car’s cabin. The butterfly doors on the MC20 are a distinctive design element that adds to the car’s overall sporty and aerodynamic appearance.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal, the butterfly doors on the MC20 also serve a practical purpose. By opening upwards instead of outwards like traditional doors, they require less space to open, making it easier to get in and out of the car in tight parking spaces. The design of the doors also contributes to the car’s overall handling and performance by reducing wind resistance and improving aerodynamics.
>> Related post: Cheapest Luxury Cars: Find Your Dream Ride in These 5 Models
Admiring the 5 coolest butterfly door cars in this video:
Final Thoughts
There are very few cars with butterfly doors available on the market, and those that do feature this unique design element tend to be high-end, luxury sports cars. While compared to normal cars, the prices of these cars are still a little bit high, however, putting them with other supercars, they may be more affordable. For example, Autozam AZ-1 – a kei car produced by Mazda or the Toyota Sera, a small coupe produced from 1990 to 1996. But they are still considered rare and collectible, and their prices may vary depending on their condition and availability.
