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The Hirohata Merc, built for Bob Hirohata and featuring shaved door handles.

Shaved doors are doors on an automobile that do not have handles on the outside of the vehicle, in order to present in a smooth look. [1] [2] [3] It was pioneered by customiser Harry Westergard in California. [4] [5] [6] The modification also increases security as there is no keyhole to pick or handle to grab.

Often called autolocs, or autoloc doors, after a popular manufacturer of such doors.

Shaved doors are popular on hot rods, street rods, muscle cars, tuned cars (mostly Japanese), trucks, and mini trucks. It is also a traditional modification on many lead sleds, dating back to the 1940s. A solenoid is used to open the door. This solenoid can be triggered by button or remote. They can also be opened mechanically with a hidden cable release. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Shaved Door Kits". Scissor Doors Inc. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  2. ^ "THE ART OF "SHAVING" CAR DOOR HANDLES". Cochran's Blog: Leading Automotive Retailer in Western PA. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  3. ^ Jefferson Bryant (20 September 2007). "Shaved Door Handles - Latched On". Hot Rod Network. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Do you Know Why Shaved Door Handles are Important?". Do You Know Why Blog Spot. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  5. ^ "1940 Mercury Westergard Custom Coupe - About this car". BOLD RIDE. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  6. ^ "CUSTOM CAR BUILDER SPOTLIGHT: WESTERGARD/BERTOLUCCI". The Jalopy Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2016.