Re: [BaadAssGremlins] Re: Coupe or Sedan?

[Onree <onree@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I guess on advantage of getting older is that I have lived through more--now
if I could just remember. I do remember back in the fifties that a coupe was
sometimes actually shorter in the passenger compartment/greenhouse than a
sedan. Very noticeable in the '46-48 Dodge and Plymouth where they had two
distinct 2-door rooflines. The two-door sedan (also sometimes referred to as
a coach) had a larger, longer back side window than the coupe. The coupe had
less rear seat foot and headroom than the sedan, but a larger trunk with
sometimes a longer decklid. Chrysler Dodge and Plymouth also made "business
coupes" which were three window coupes with only one seat and a huge long
trunk. These were for travelling salesmen. Ford/Mercury also made a
distinction. The '40 Ford Coupe was the cat's meow when I was a kid--the
2-door sedan was a yawner.
Chevy used three different rooflines in 1953 and 1954. The 2-door sedan was
available as a BelAir, there was also a pillarless 2-door hardtop--called a
"sport coupe" and a pillared five window business coupe in the 150 series.
It had a place for a back seat, but just a platform installed.

Definitions eventually come down to accepted usage--which of course changes
over time. My 18 year old (who is in to aircooled VWs) calls anything with a
steel roof a "hardtop." Carheads who grew up in the fifties and sixties only
use hardtop to describe a pillarless design, and yes there were lots of four
doors-I have a 1966 Corvair pillarless four door hardtop sitting in my
driveway.

AMC Gremlin content---If I remember right, when I bought my new 1970
Gremlin, AMC called the four seat hatchback a sedan, and the two seat with
fixed rear window a coupe--anybody have a 1970 brochure or catalog?
Onree


on 3/21/05 11:12 AM, John W Rosa at JohnRosa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx did write:

> 
> 
> No arguing here...just curious if there was ever a 'firm'
> criteria to make them, since the Feds and DMV often have
> to mark their documentation with such specs. New Jersey
> Uses the slightly-more-precise '2DR' and '4DR', bypassing
> the whole issue by simply counting doors (which raises
> other oddballs like hatchbacks that are sometimes referred
> to as '3-doors', and those goofy Saturn 3-door 'coupes'...
> or whatever!).
> 
> <And now, a side trip...>
> [Everyone recall the Pacer having a longer passenger side
> door to make letting kids in and out on the CURB SIDE easier
> and safer?? Now, recall the Saturn commercials introducing
> the 3-door coupe a few years ago? They pushed the kiddie-
> entry-and-exit convenience, too...but note that they showed
> this happening always in a DRIVEWAY. Why? Cuz the idiots put
> the extra door on the STREET-SIDE. Duh. Guess they assume we
> all have a driveway and never park at the curb.]
> 
> <...and back on track...>
> My own tweak is using the rear-half's styling as a tie-
> breaker of sorts. If the rear window to trunk/hatchlid
> 'line' (viewed from the side) is indistinguishable (no
> abrupt fold or crease between them, forming any variation
> of a 'notch') *AND* it's got two side doors...it's a coupe.
> If any form of notchback styling is evident, it's a sedan,
> regardless of the number of doors.
> 
> Using only AMCs for this example, this would then give us:
> 68-74 Javelin and AMX: coupe.
> Rogue: sedan
> Rebel: sedan
> 71-73 Matador 2 and 4 door: sedan
> 74-78 4-door: sedan
> 74-78 2-door: coupe
> Hornet hatchback: coupe
> Hornet 2 and 4 door notchback: sedan
> Gremlin: coupe
> Pacer hatchback: coupe
> 
> These seem to me better applications of the terms. 'Coupe'
> just suggests to me a more slippery/sporty shape, and fast-
> backs suggest it best (to me).
> 
> John
> 



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