Fiat Grande Punto, BMW M3 and VW Passat wing doors from LSD - motiontrends.com car magazine

Grande Punto, VW Passat and BMW M3
Get their boarding tickets from... LSD

Italian Fiat Grande Punto with German LSD wing doors.

MT, PR,
31 August 2006.

One of the most obvious dynamic changes in a stationary car is the opening of its doors. Its body is just standing there. Only the doors can make the most significant movement, opening or closing.

But if everybody opens his / her door horizontally, is every car "condemned" to welcome its driver and visiting passengers like any other four-wheeled "creature"?

Not necessarily.

That's exactly where you might find LSD's spectacular, yet safe and easy to apply solution: wing doors for the onlooker, and special door hinges for the connoisseur.

Actually, you don't have to change your doors. Fixing a precisely engineered hinge kit is enough to alter the way they open and close.

That brings us to the latest from the German auto styling specialists who are adding their wing doors solution to the cute and successful Fiat Grande Punto supermini car (B-segment).

The LSD wing doors kit for the Fiat Grande Punto Type 199 costs €1,499 in Germany (incl. 16% VAT).

BMW 3 Series (previous generation) with LSD wing doors.

For larger size requirements, family cars in the D-segment, or upper-medium size category can get their share too, with the previous generation VW Passat sedan and Estate (station wagon) wing doors kit (€1,599, incl. 16% VAT in Germany), while the more sporty and luxury oriented tastes get their boarding passes to the "flying" door kits of the BMW 3-Series (previous E46 generation) Coupe and Convertible, including their "nastier" incarnation, the M3 (€1,699 in Germany, incl. 16% VAT).

With safety coming first, the LSD door hinge kits come complete with TÜV (German safety standards institute) parts certificate, confirming their compliance with all safety standards, including side security proven by side crash tests.

In this regard, LSD confirms that a testing laboratory accredited by the German Kraftfahrtbundesamt (Federal motoring bureau) proved in a side crash test that the LSD-solution is as secure as a door assembled in the series production. Hence, passengers safety is guaranteed by the LSD door fittings in a side-crash complying with rule 96/27/EG.

Previous gen. Passat: station wagons have their right to fun too.

After the German TÜV parts certificate and the crash tests compliance comes the mounting question.

That's where the spectacular way of opening and closing the wing doors, comes to its simple roots: the hinge kits are simply mounted directly at the points of the original doors, thanks to their precise engineering and high quality standards.

With its three-dimensional adjustments to get a perfect fit, LSD makes a quick and easy installation possible, without any welding or repainting necessary.

That's how the new Fiat Grande Punto got its Lamborghini style wing doors.

With the added fittings, the otherwise unchanged doors open first outward and then gently glide upward and stop. Adjustable buffers prevent the doors from being opened too wide or from falling downward or inward when open.

A simple grip closes the door. On the one hand, the LSD solution allows opening the door in an outward motion with an aperture angle of approx. 30°; on the other hand, it also allows the user to swing the wing door upward, and all that without a great effort.

For an idea about other prices, the LSD kit for the C6 Chevrolet Corvette costs €1,723.28 (ex VAT), and €1,999 for the previous generation C5 Corvette, while the Opel / Vauxhall Speedster can have its own LSD system for €1,292.24 (ex. VAT). Other kit offers for previous models include the Audi 80 kit (Type 89, for €1,699, incl. VAT in Germany), the Mitsubishi Eclipse (type D30 for €1,599, incl. German VAT) and the Toyota MR2 (Type W2, W20, for €1,599, incl. German VAT).

Market-specific prices, shipping costs and other information - or inquiries - about the LSD wing door fittings range can be obtained directly from the LSD website.