car body style

A hearse is a funeral vehicle, a conveyance for the coffin from e.g. a church to a cemetery, a similar burial site, or a crematorium. In the funeral trade, they are often called funeral coaches. The name, supposedly, derives from the Anglo-Saxon word harrow, describing the temporary framework on which candles were placed above the bier. This also held banners and armorial bearings and other heraldic devices. Verses o ...

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• Hearse - Cultural references

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A coupé (from the French for "cut") or coupe is a car body style with a close-coupled interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating (space for two passengers up front and for two occasional passengers in the rear). Through the 1950s convertible models were sometimes called convertible coupés, but since the 1960s the term "coupé" has generally been applied exclusively to fixed-roof models. Coupés generally, but not necessarily, have two doors, although automobile makers have offered four-door coupés and thr ...

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A convertible is a car body style with a folding or retracting roof. The collapsible roof section is typically made from flexible canvas or vinyl, although plastic, aluminium and steel have occasionally been used in elaborate folding designs. Unlike a roadster, which may also have a soft folding top, a convertible has roll-up glass windows in the sides, and so the entire vehicle is "convertible" to an enclosed coupé. Convertibles are usually 2 door models, only a few 4 door mode ...

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• Convertible - Notable convertibles

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Phaeton or Phaethon may refer to many different things, all deriving ultimately from the mythological figure Phaëton: Phaeton is an automobile manufactured by Volkswagen. Phaëton in Greek Mythology is the Son of Helios, the Sun God. Another Phaethon was a son of Eos, the Dawn Goddess. Phaeton is the fanciful early 19th-century term for a sporty rig drawn by a single horse or a pair, with extravagantly large wheels, very lightly sprung, with a minimal body, fast and dangerous

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Cabriolet - Original meaning. A cabriolet was a light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a folding 'calash' top, seating two persons behind the driver's box. Developed in France in the early 19th century, the vehicle quickly replaced the heavier hackney carriage as the vehicle for hire of choice in Paris and London. The modern term (taxi)cab comes from "cabriolet" via "Hansom cab". taxicab, convertible Cabriolet - Modern meaning. A Including:

• Cabriolet - Original meaning
• Cabriolet - Modern meaning

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The vast majority of modern station wagons have an upward-swinging, full-width full-height rear door supported on gas struts, and a few also have a rear window that can be swung upward independently to load small items without opening the whole liftgate. Historically, however, many different designs have been used for access to the rear of car; the following summary concentrates on U.S. models. The earliest common style was an upward-swinging window combined with a downward swinging tailgate. Both were manually operated. This co ...

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Station wagon, Station wagon - Tailgate Evolution, Station wagon - The Woodie Wagon, Station wagon - Declining Popularity in North America, Station wagon - Wagons Around the World, Station wagon - Sources

Read more here: » Station wagon: Encyclopedia II - Station wagon - Tailgate Evolution

In Europe, Australasia and South Africa, these vehicles remain popular and in volume production, although minivans (MPVs) and the like have had some impact. Indeed, the absence of a station wagon in a model range is considered detrimental to its success by manufacturers in Australasia. Station wagons are lower in profile than a minivan or SUV and thus have less air resistance when driving on the highway. As in North America, early station wagons were aftermarket conversions and had their new bodywork built with a wooden frame, sometimes with wooden panels, sometimes steel. Station wagons were the originato ...

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Station wagon, Station wagon - Tailgate Evolution, Station wagon - The Woodie Wagon, Station wagon - Declining Popularity in North America, Station wagon - Wagons Around the World, Station wagon - Sources

Read more here: » Station wagon: Encyclopedia II - Station wagon - Wagons Around the World

Sales of station wagons in the United States and Canada remained strong through 1984 when Chrysler Corporation introduced the first minivans, built on the new "K" platform, which, ironically, also had a wagon built on it. The ripple effect of the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo led to the demise of the station wagon where CAFE legislation dethroned the rear wheel drive (FR) layout for efficient front wheel drives (FF). Station wagons were the victims of Detroit's downsizing trend after 1976, and vehicle choice was limited to which SUVs like the Chevrolet Suburban and van conversions (GMC Vandura) filled the void o ...

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Station wagon, Station wagon - Tailgate Evolution, Station wagon - The Woodie Wagon, Station wagon - Declining Popularity in North America, Station wagon - Wagons Around the World, Station wagon - Sources

Read more here: » Station wagon: Encyclopedia II - Station wagon - Declining Popularity in North America