My understanding is that a two seat (generally), two door car with either a
fixed hardtop or a soft top, in which the side windows roll down, is truly a
coupe, either "fixed head", if with hardtop, or "drop head", if equipped
with a folding softop. Generally, a coupe is equipped a little more
luxuriously than a roadster. A roadster, on the other hand, is a two door,
generally two seat vehicle with a removable soft top that offers minimal
protection against the elements. Thus, by these definitions, TR2s thru
TR3Bs are true roadsters while TR4s and onwards are truly drop head coupes.
Similarly, the bug eye Sprite is a roadster, the MGB is a drop head coupe.
The definitions have become blurred over the years, but I believe these are
the definitions the coach builders of the 20s and 30s used.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Davies <daviesw@ecid.cig.mot.com>
To: Day.John@fin.gc.ca <Day.John@fin.gc.ca>
Cc: faustus@inconnect.com <faustus@inconnect.com>; spitfires@autox.team.net
<spitfires@autox.team.net>; triumphs@autox.team.net
<triumphs@autox.team.net>
Date: Monday, March 15, 1999 10:25 AM
Subject: Re: Mustang...Spitfire???
>
>Hi,
> I missed the start of this thread, and I'm not sure who to attribute
>this quote to. Surely the word Coupe refers to the lower roofline? Hence
>cars like the Rover P5 Coupe, which was a variant of the P5 Saloon,
>albeit with a lower roofline. That car certainly had 4 doors, and I've
>never heard it's Coupe Credentials called into question. I don't have a
>dictionary or thesaurus to hand (I'm at work), so can anyone define the
>word Coupe, and from where it is derived?
> Cheers,
> Bill.
>
>
>
>> > Which brings us around to *gasp* the Saturn _THREE_ door
>> coupe!
>> Excuse me-
>> > but if it has _THREE_ doors (the third one not being a hatch
>> back)--is it
>> > _really_ a (by definition of the word) "coupe"?
>> >
>> >
>
>--
>---------------------------------------------------------
> This Message sent by:
> ^================^
> / \ William Davies
> / \ Total Triumph Enthusiast
> __ __________________ __
>/ \ ______ ______ / \ 1959 Herald 948 Coupe Y128
>\__/ \ || / \__/ 1959 Herald 948 Coupe
>| A \____||____/ A | 1960 Herald 948 Saloon Export
>| = H H = | 1961 Herald S
>=====U==============U===== 1964 Herald 1200 Saloon
>\________________________/ 1966 Herald 1200 Convertible
> | | | | 1973 Spitfire MkIV
> |_| |_| 1959 Standard Atlas Pickup
|