OK. I was just reading the last British Car mag. They had an article on
the
Jaguar XK120. They made some as roadsters and some as drop head coupes.
Whatzthedifference?
Have you compared a Porsche 356 Speedster to a Cabriolet? Pretty much the
same distinctions. Lower windscreen, simpler weather equipment (packaway
hood vs attached folding top, roll-up windows vs. sidescreens) In Italian
the term barchetta (literally "little boat") is often used. Orginally this
was used as a nickname for an early 50's Ferrari lightweight body type with
no weather protection. It spread until in modern times it has been used as a
model name on a FIAT which is a two seat convertible with full weather gear,
roll-up windows etc. The Italian term "spider" or spyder pretty much means
anything the manufacturer wants it to, but usually refers to a convertible
two-seater with roll up windows and attached folding hood.
The Roadster/Speedster was meant to be the competition car, where the weight
of the weather gear could be left in the paddock. Nowadays nothing suitable
for road use is really suitable for competition so the distinctions are
meaningless, since track cars are gutted road cars with safety cages. It
also fell apart when aerodynamic body types and rigid construction made
closed cars faster than spindly open two seaters)
Coupe, way back when, implied a closed two-seater. (this is "Coop-ay",
French for "to cut" not the americanization of "coop" as in "Coup des Alpes"
the prize given for completing the alpine rally without penalty.)
The origins of the word convertible are from "convertible coupe" and imply a
car that can switch from open to weather-tight at will. The Benz SLK might
be the ulitmate modern expression of this.
OK so far? In the immediate post-war world at least on the continent:
Roadster=Speedster=Barchetta= Open-Two-Seater(OTS is a Jagaur term)
(Lightweight two-seater open body)
Drop-head coupe=Convertible=Cabriolet=Spider
Coupe=Closed two seater (in both these groups, three-across front bench
seats like some FIATs also qualify)in Italian, a Berlinetta.
Saloon=Sedan=Berline=closed four or more seats, any number of doors
An open four (or more) seater was called a touring car, or a phaeton. (dual
cowl was a subtype)The term cabriolet is sometimes used for open four
seaters as well, so perhaps I don't really understand that term as well as I
should, or it is being used "creatively".
Open for the driver, and closed for the rear passengers was a brougham or
coupe deVille (there is a bewildering array of terms for chauffer-driven
configurations.)
Most of this is pretty meaningless, especially in the United States, where
taking liberties with the language is regarded as a birthright. It's like
trying to define pornography, we know it when we see it, but it's hard to
pin down terms we all agree on. No doubt that my Mk1 Midget is a roadster,
but is the Mini a coupe or saloon? Is a TR4 a roadster, a tourer or a
convertible?
Nowadays "Coupe" and "Sedan" are determined (by SAE at least) based on
interior volume. Marketing speak usually uses coupe for two-door and sedan
for four door. Then there are those oddball Saturns. For a little while
there were very few two-seat coupes produced (mostly for insurance reasons)
and Porsche 911s (and Japan-market 2+2 RX-7s) raced as saloon cars, based on
interior volume and four seats. I think anybody would agree that these are
NOT sedans.
Having said all that, I now find a link which sums up some of this rather
well, although it contradicts my definitions in some places:
http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/Museum/historic_automotive_terms.htm I'll
defer to them.
Phil Vanner
we shouldn't anthropomorphize cars - they don't like it.
-----Original Message-----
From owner-spridgets at autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-spridgets@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Ajhsys@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 9:28 AM
To: clabaw@jpl.nasa.gov; Guy.Weller@kencomp.net;
spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: saloon definition
In a message dated 4/21/03 5:52:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
clabaw@jpl.nasa.gov writes:
> Any more auto-arcania?
- - - - - - - - - -
Allen Hefner
Phila. Region SCCA Rally Steward
'77 MG Midget (#51 FSP)
'75 MG Midget (The Project)
'99 Ford Contour SE Sport (24v V6)
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