Forward opening bonnets...

[wildcat45]

Or hoods if you are American.

No cars seem to have them these days. The thread with the broken down Rolls god me wondering, is there a reason why car makers stopped the practice?

I'm guessing some sort of crash safety regs.

[Baryonyx]

I don't know why or how crash safety would affect them. I have one on my XJ8, at least I don't have to worry about it blowing open in the wind, Renault Clio style.

[JordanTurbo]

F type opens forwards.

[berlintaxi]

XK8 opens forward, must be a Jaguar thing.

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

I suppose the bulkhead is a stronger place to hinge the heavy bonnet?

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

I suppose the bulkhead is a stronger place to hinge the heavy bonnet?

[magooagain]

Our Renault Kangoo is the same. PITA to work on! I had to remove it to do a rad change last week.

[Triumph Man]

My BMW E34 has a forward hinged bonnet, with a natty opening mechanism in as much as gas struts push it up and forwards when the handle is pulled. This is hilarious when my GF tries to open the bonnet as she then thinks it's rear hinged.

This mechanism doesn't stop the bd thing falling on my head when the wind blows...

[SteveC72]

The mk II Fiesta opened forward.

In the 80s my local Ford dealership made a mock up video of the mechanics trying to open it from the front then someone opening it properly and bashing the other guys on the head. They sent it to the Jeremy Beadle program and IIRC it got shown.

[swisstoni]

Having had a MkII Cortina bonnet conform itself neatly to the shape of the windscreen and roof when it wasn't latched properly I'd imagine that a front hinge bonnet is a safer setup.

[B'stard Child]

Not a forward opening comment but one thing I really love about Mercs is that you can get the bonnet up to vertical - makes working in the engine bay so easy

[hman]

working on a car with a forward hinged bonnet is a pain though.

[TooMany2cvs]

hman said:

working on a car with a forward hinged bonnet is a pain though.

"Proper" Saab 900. Not only does the bonnet hinge far enough forward that it isn't in the way for very much at all (I did the HG in mine with the bonnet on), but removing two small bolts allows the entire bonnet to be lifted off without losing the adjustment.


You can just see the head of one of the bolts on the outside of the hinge, just above the headlight.

[Leins]

Great thread, huge fan of these types of bonnets, for no reason other than I think they look pretty nifty

Triumph Man said:

My BMW E34 has a forward hinged bonnet, with a natty opening mechanism in as much as gas struts push it up and forwards when the handle is pulled. This is hilarious when my GF tries to open the bonnet as she then thinks it's rear hinged.

This mechanism doesn't stop the bd thing falling on my head when the wind blows...

Yep, my E34 tried to decapitate me last summer at a show too. I still have to love it though


I have to admit though that the BMW mechanisms are good, but the Saab 900 one is a work of art

[jmorgan]

swisstoni said:

Having had a MkII Cortina bonnet conform itself neatly to the shape of the windscreen and roof when it wasn't latched properly I'd imagine that a front hinge bonnet is a safer setup.

Depends. Might be interesting when the catch is not secure and a bit of heavy braking is called for. Not that I have ever done that......

[liner33]

DrDoofenshmirtz said:

I suppose the bulkhead is a stronger place to hinge the heavy bonnet?

Cant remember the last time I saw a bonnet hinge on a bulkhead , usually on the top of the inner wing

[confused_buyer]

I think the reason was pedestrian safety in that having solid things (i.e. big heavy hinges) under the leading edge of the bonnet is now illegal.

The F-Type has a pyrotechnic bonnet which pops up on impact which presumably allows it to open this way.

Headlamp wipers were banned for the same reasons.

[Leins]

^^^ Yes, the F-Type is bang up to date

[andy-xr]

It's also quite hard to get to bits at the front when you're accesing it from the side for repairs etc

[NiceCupOfTea]

TooMany2cvs said:

hman said:

working on a car with a forward hinged bonnet is a pain though.

"Proper" Saab 900. Not only does the bonnet hinge far enough forward that it isn't in the way for very much at all (I did the HG in mine with the bonnet on), but removing two small bolts allows the entire bonnet to be lifted off without losing the adjustment.


You can just see the head of one of the bolts on the outside of the hinge, just above the headlight.

This, they are an absolute work of art.