Design detail: door handles

Mazda MX-5 door handle

I pitched a blog idea to Car Design News about the unusual door handles fitted to the original Mazda MX-5, which quickly spiralled into a feature about notable door handle designs over the decades. A seemingly trivial story, it nonetheless triggered some interesting debate among designers and enthusiasts via Twitter, demonstrating that the idea struck a chord with the CDN audience.

To research the piece I got in touch with several designer contacts, asking them to nominate their favourite handles. I also spoke to Bob Hall in California by phone. Hall was a key member of the product development team for the first-generation MX-5/Eunos/Miata and is widely credited as the father of the MX-5.

Key quote
“The most important thing about door handles is that they’re the first contact with the car and they should tell the story of the car”
Frédéric Duvernier, head of concept cars, Citroën