Phaeton vs. Convertible?

What differences are there between a Phaeton vs. a Convertible.

Just the basic differences, no year by year details needed.

 

Convertibles have 2 doors, phaetons have four.

And, phaeton's are usually roadsters... No side windows. Convertibles have roll up windows.

 

If we're talkin early Ford, phaetons don't have roll up windows. They come in both 2 and 4 door models. If it's on your SAT tomorrow, a phaeton is to a sedan as a roadster is to a coupe.

 

In early cars a convertible was a drop top car with one bench seat like a coupe and a phaeton was a drop top car with a front and rear seat like a sedan.
edit: oops, 2 folks typed faster than me!

 

Convertibles have roll up windows. Phaetons and roadsters have no roll up windows. Number of doors has nothing to due with it. Period

 

So this is not a Phaeton according to you guys

http://www.mexicanjunk.co.nz/Big Pics/36 Ford phaeton.htm

.

 

That is a fordor convertible

-Shiny

 

that is a convertible sedan.

 

That is also one rare Somebitch!!!

 

Thanks for that.
I need to change the title now.

.

 

Phaetons generally had roadster type cowls, no? ...and convertible sedans had windshield posts as part of the cowl.

i could be wrong though...

 

Thanks guys! That clears the two terms up a lot!

 

This is funny, I am always being told that mine is a Phaeton. Then I try to explain to them it is a convertible sedan but most don't understand.

 

You're right, they didn't make a phaeton in '39. 3,591 convertible sedans. It is confusing, isn't it?!

 

What further confuses things is companies such as Auburn, Cord and Cadillac used the term "Phaeton" on cars that were clearly conv sedans.

 

And VW currently makes a "Phaeton" that is neither a convertible or a Roadster but a full size luxury sedan. And BMW calls it's little sports car a Roadster, even though it has a fixed windshield and roll up windows, as did Mazda with the Miata/MX5. No wonder the public is clueless

 

3 general flavors of car:
Closed car...solid roof, windows. You are indoors.

Convertible...top and windows go down, you are almost outside, maybe on the front porch. Put up the windows and roof and you are about as much inside as you would be in a closed car.

Open car...roadster, phaeton-touring...you are outside. Put up top and side curtains, and you are still outside but with a pretty good umbrella and a very inconvenient raincoat, really a poncho. It doesn't keep you dry or warm, but at least you can no longer see out well...

 

It doesn't keep you dry or warm, but at least you can no longer see out well...


hahahahahahaha!! thanks, I needed that.

 

Now this is a definition I can wrap my brain around!!! Well played.
CHAZ

 

Hmm, i just finish this '32 phaeton in my avatar and it has solid 'A' pillars and roll up windows, glass rear window; i thought a roadster has different 'A' pillars, isinglass side and rear windows. But then i'nm far from an expert.

 

Thanks Bruce, perfectly clear if only I could see.

 

Well said, Bruce, and soooooooo true!!

 

Phaeton & Touring are the same right? Any one know the reason for the two terms? I hear 20's cars refered to as tourings more and 30's phaetons but not always.

 

there is no pheaton in your avatar. looks like a Cabriolet.

 

Touring is older term for car use, phaeton (from Greek mythology!) is an older-than-autos term applied once to some kind of carriage. Picked up by Detroit as a cooler term. Kind of Madison Avenue, try to make it seem classier. Maw and Paw drive a touring car to the feed mill, Clark Gable drives a phaeton to the Oscars.

 

OK that sounds logical, but why do T's always get called tourings and A's get called phaetons? I think I'll call my 24 a touriton or a phaetouring.

 

Because the term came into auto use later.
Remember also that ALL these terms are very fluid over time...cars of the earlier decades had some body types outside of our categories, and others that went extinct.
Some terms were in use for a while, others were pure fluff from the PR department, like "Phaeton". Limos now have the driver indoors and sometimes no partition...class distictions have changed! Open cars are I think extinct, and their terminology applied to whatever the advertising department damn pleases. I think your T predates the use of "Phaeton" by Ford advertising, but postdates it's use for a carriage.

 

In the1920's Chrysler used the term touring car for the smaller (5 passenger) open 4 door cars and phaeton was reserved for the large (7 passenger) open cars. In their eyes Ford only made touring cars,

 

Now, let's hear about speedster, cabriolet and sedanca-de-ville.

 

No one even knows about Vestibule limousines anymore...luxury cars are made for midgets nowadays. And the president rides an a damn TRUCK...where are we headed??