Top 10 Cars with Gullwing Doors
Discover the most iconic and rare cars with gullwing doors that turned heads and rewrote automotive design history.
Those roof-hinged “wings” are the peacocks of automotive design—completely unnecessary, wildly impractical, and absolutely unforgettable. From post-war racers to modern EV spaceships, gullwing doors turn any parking lot into a photo shoot. Let’s pop the latches and meet ten machines that wear them best.
1. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W198) – 1954-1957
The reason we even call them “gullwings.” A space-frame chassis sat too high over the sills for conventional doors, so engineers hinged them in the roof and accidentally created an icon. Inline-six with mechanical fuel injection, 160 mph in period trim, and the kind of concours value that makes insurers sweat.
2. DeLorean DMC-12 – 1981-1983
Brushed stainless, Giugiaro lines, and doors that needed just 11 inches of side clearance—perfect for tight parking or escaping Libyan terrorists in a shopping-mall lot. PR fiascos and undercooked engines sank the company, but the silhouette (and being one of the most iconic movie cars) keeps values climbing.
3. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – 2010-2014
AMG’s first clean-sheet car revived the 300 SL formula with a 563 hp 6.2-litre V8 and doors that could rip open a quiet Cars & Coffee or Daikoku meet. Trick: explosive roof bolts that fire if the car rolls, letting you crawl out instead of waiting for a tow-truck crane.
4. Tesla Model X – 2015-present
Technically “falcon-wing,” but the double-hinged setup is still roof-mounted drama. Ultrasonic sensors map garage ceilings so the doors articulate in slow-motion ballet. Say what you will about panel gaps—nothing else lets kids climb into the third row with this much theatre.
5. Pagani Huayra – 2011-2022
Horacio Pagani mixed aerospace, steampunk, and AMG V12 thunder, then crowned it with carbon-fibre gullwings. Every hinge is titanium; every latch feels like a Swiss watch. Not the easiest doors to close from the inside—fortunately each Huayra comes with a seven-figure owner willing to try twice.
6. Autozam AZ-1 – 1992-1995
Proof you don’t need supercar money to wear wings. This 720 kg kei-car packs a mid-mounted 657 cc turbo triple and hits 9,000 rpm just for fun. Doors rise nearly vertical, which is handy in Tokyo’s broom-closet parking. Collectors now pay silly money for tidy examples.
7. Bricklin SV-1 – 1974-1976
Canada’s fiberglass safety crusader. Hydraulically operated gullwings (slow in winter, hilarious in summer), integrated roll cage, and color-impregnated body panels so you could “never wax again.” Quality control was a myth, but few cars from the ’70s draw crowds faster at a cruise-night.
8. Gumpert Apollo – 2005-2012
Aero first, comfort never. Audi-derived twin-turbo V8, sub-3-second sprints, and doors shaped like angry shark fins. Rumor says the Apollo could drive upside-down in a tunnel at 190 mph; nobody volunteered to test it, but the gullwings would have made a dramatic exit.
9. Melkus RS1000 – 1969-1979
East Germany’s only production sports car borrowed Wartburg running gear and added fiberglass gullwings because why not? Two-stroke 992 cc triple, 70 hp, and a soundtrack like a swarm of bees in a beer keg. Built by a racing driver for comrades who never saw a 300 SL outside state magazines.
10. Isdera Commendatore 112i – 1993 (one-off)
A home-built German supercar powered by a Merc V12 and fitted with periscope mirrors plus—naturally—gullwing doors. Only one prototype exists, yet its influence bled into later AMG projects. Recently restored and auctioned for hypercar money, proving rarity + doors > depreciation.
Final Lap
Gullwing doors are rarely practical and never cheap, but they guarantee instant legend status. Spot one lifting skyward and every phone in the lot comes out—proof that a little inconvenience is a small price for mechanical theatre.
