Style of open automobile, popular in the early 20th-century
A
phaeton
is a style of open
automobile
without any fixed weather protection, which was popular from the 1900s until the 1930s. It is an automotive equivalent of the
horse-drawn
fast, lightweight
phaeton carriage
.
[1]
A popular style in the US from the mid?1920s and continuing into the first half of the 1930s was the
dual cowl phaeton
, with a
cowl
separating the rear passengers from the driver and front passenger.
[2]
Phaetons fell from favour when closed cars and
convertible
body
styles became widely available during the 1930s. Eventually, the term "phaeton" became so widely and loosely applied that almost any vehicle with two axles and a row or rows of seats across the body could be called a phaeton.
[3]
Convertibles and
pillarless hardtops
were sometimes marketed as "phaetons" after actual phaetons were phased out.
History
[
edit
]
The term
phaeton
had historically described a light, open four-wheeled carriage. When automobiles arrived it was applied to a light two-seater with minimal coachwork. The term was interchangeable with
spyder
, derived from a light form of phaeton carriage known as a
spider
.
[4]
Originally meant to denote a faster and lighter vehicle than a
touring car
, the two terms eventually became interchangeable.
[5]
A detachable folding or rigid roof could be added before a drive in preparation for inclement weather, and side curtains or screens could be installed once the roof was in place. This was mainly temporary and partial relief rather than the more permanent, watertight protection offered by a convertible. As a result, a phaeton was much lighter than the sturdier, weather-ready convertible. Since the body was entirely open, it was easy to add or remove an extra row of seating where space had been left in the original construction.
A phaeton differs from a convertible in having no winding or sliding windows in the doors or the body.
[6]
-
-
-
1930 Studebaker
-
1930 Ford Model A
-
-
Doubles and triples
[
edit
]
There were also double phaetons, with two rows of seats, triple phaetons, and closed phaetons.
[4]
[3]
After 1912, American use of the term began to be most closely associated with the "triple phaeton" body configurations that had room for three rows of seats, whether all three were installed or not. This also led to the term "phaeton" becoming similar to, and eventually interchangeable with, the term "
touring car
".
[7]
[8]
-
-
1935 Duesenberg
-
1905 Mercedes 28/50 PS double phaeton
-
Cadillac phaeton carrying President Johnson, 1967, nicknamed the "Queen Mary" by his Secret Service detail
-
1997
Chrysler Phaeton
concept car
Dual cowl phaeton
[
edit
]
Specific use of the term
phaeton
is with the
dual cowl phaeton
, a body style in which the rear passengers were separated from the driver and the front passengers by a cowl or bulkhead, often with its own folding windshield.
[9]
Decline in popularity
[
edit
]
The phaeton and the touring car were popular up to the 1930s, after which they were largely replaced by the
convertible
, which also had a retractable roof, but also included side windows so that the car could be completely enclosed.
[10]
The
Willys-Overland Jeepster
was the last true phaeton produced by a major US automaker,
[11]
and was introduced ten years after the previous phaeton to be offered by an American manufacturer.
[12]
The post-World War II demand for automobiles - of any description - was an opportunity for Willys-Overland to build on the Jeep's military recognition and they evolved the 1946 Jeepster two-door station wagon to the 1948 phaeton.
[13]
It provided a "Spartan but adequate appointments" that included hinged front door
vent windows
and plastic side curtains rather than roll-up glass windows.
[13]
Marketed from 1948 to 1951, the Jeepster phaeton was a rather expensive niche vehicle and "though admired by many, it was purchased by relatively few."
[14]
In 1952, a year after
Willys
last offered the Jeepster, Chrysler Corporation built three
Imperial Parade phaetons
for ceremonial use, one by New York City, one by Los Angeles, and one intended for the
White House
, but ultimately used for events throughout the United States.
[15]
These were dual-cowl phaetons custom-built on stretched versions of the company’s Imperial Crown Limousine chassis.
[16]
As a model name
[
edit
]
In the late 1930s, Buick included a "convertible phaeton" body style, which was actually a four-door
convertible
, as the doors had roll up windows in them and the car could be fully closed.
[17]
[18]
[19]
During the 1956 model year, Mercury marketed the four-door
hardtop
versions of its
Montclair
and
Monterey
models as "phaetons."
[20]
[21]
In 2004,
Volkswagen
introduced a vehicle with the name
Phaeton
, which has a typical four-door
sedan
body style.
[22]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Definition of Phaeton"
.
The Free Dictionary
. Retrieved
17 December
2017
.
- ^
Haajanen, Lennart W. (2017).
Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles
(Second ed.). McFarland. p. 71.
ISBN
978-1-4766-2404-4
. Retrieved
17 December
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Terry, Christopher W.; Hall, Arthur (1914). "The Varieties of Motor Bodies".
Motor Body-building in All Its Branches
. London: E. & F. N. Spon. pp.
1
?6
. Retrieved
15 May
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Roberts, Peter (1974). "Carriage to Car".
Veteran and Vintage Cars
. London, UK: Octopus Books. p. 111.
ISBN
0-7064-0331-2
.
Phaeton
– A light car with seats for two and the minimum of coachwork, similar to an early racing car. Phaetons could be double (four seats), triple, or closed. Sometimes also calles a spider, or spyder.
- ^
"Definition of Phaeton"
.
Merriam-Webster.com
. Retrieved
17 December
2017
.
- ^
"Phaeton vs. Convertible?"
. Jalopy Journal - The H.A.M.B
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
Gove, Philip Babcock
, ed. (1966).
Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged
. Vol. L?Z. Springfield, Mass.: G & C Merriam. p. 2417.
ISBN
0-7135-1037-4
.
- ^
Culshaw, David; Horrobin, Peter (2013) [1974]. "Appendix 5: Coachwork Styles".
The complete catalogue of British Cars 1895 - 1975
(E-book). Poundbury, Dorchester, UK: Veloce Publishing. pp. 482, 484.
ISBN
978-1-845845-83-4
.
Particular names originally associated with the Tourer tradition were Tonneau and Phaeton, the latter revived many years later, mainly in the United States up to the Second World War.
- ^
Schreiber, Ronnie (11 August 2015).
"Nothing Arrives in Style Like a Dual Cowl Phaeton"
. The Truth About Cars
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
Taylor, Thom (16 May 2018).
"Sure, phaetons are fabulous; just don't try riding in the back seat"
. Hagerty
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
Matar, George (December 2005).
"1948-1951 Jeepster"
.
Hemmings Classic Car
. Retrieved
11 December
2012
.
- ^
Brown, Arch (1994). "Chapter Four – Postwar Plans for Willys: 1945-52".
Jeep: The Unstoppable Legend
. Lincolnwoood, IL: Publications International. p. 76.
ISBN
0-7853-0870-9
.
But it was an open car—the first American phaeton in a decade—and it certainly had a sporty flair.
- ^
a
b
"1949 Willys Jeepster Phaeton"
. Christies. 15 August 1998
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
The Auto Editors of Consumer Guide (30 October 2007).
"Introduction to the 1967-1973 Jeepster Commando"
.
HowStuffWorks.com
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
Siler, Steve (19 February 2019).
"Chrysler Imperial: The Most Beautiful Presidential Limo in History"
. Car and Driver
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
Heinzman, Paul F.
"Imperial Parade Phaeton"
.
teamchicago.com
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
"Buick brochure"
.
Img.inkfrog.com
. Archived from
the original
on 17 May 2014
. Retrieved
15 May
2014
.
- ^
Gunnel, John (2004).
Standard Catalog of Buick 1903-2004
. Krause Publications. pp. 40, 41, 43, 45, 47?63.
ISBN
0-87349-760-0
. Archived from
the original
on 19 September 2016
. Retrieved
11 December
2012
.
- ^
McCourt, Mark J. (March 2020).
"The 1938 Buick Century Convertible Phaeton offers great bang for the buck"
.
Hemmings Motor News
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
"Four-door hardtop is the newest member of 1956 Mercury line"
.
Popular Science
.
168
(1): 136. January 1956
. Retrieved
15 May
2014
.
- ^
"1956 Mercury Hardtops brochure (Meet Mercury's new fleet of low-siluette hardtops ... featuring glamorous, new 4-DOOR
Phaetons
)"
.
oldcarbrochures.com
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
Joseph, Jacob (22 July 2012).
"Biggest Automotive Missteps: Volkswagen Phaeton - The "Peoples' Car" brand simply couldn't get away with a full-blown luxury sedan"
. CarBuzz
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.