THE SPARROW STORY
The Sparrow's Single Forward-Swinging Door
The Sparrow has one door, on the sidewalk side, and it swings up and forward rather than out. Corbin holds United States Patent 6,676,193 for the design. The team chose it for practical reasons that follow directly from how a small commuter car is used.
From the Sparrow archive. Product plans, events and availability described here belong to the original historical period.
Parking and traffic
A conventional side-hinged door needs clear space beside the car to open. The Sparrow's door rotates forward over the nose, so it can open fully even when another vehicle is parked close alongside in a crowded lot. In a photograph from the prototype build, R&D lead Vince Zavala is shown working at the rear of the car with the door raised, which illustrates how little lateral room it needs.
Putting the only door on the curb side means that when the car is parallel parked, the driver steps out onto the sidewalk instead of into the traffic lane.
Getting in and out
Because the door travels all the way forward, the opening it leaves is large relative to the cabin. The driver can step in and settle into the central seat without ducking under a partially open panel. A single door also removes weight and complexity compared with two, and it leaves the traffic side of the body as one continuous surface, which is consistent with the aerodynamic emphasis elsewhere in the design.
