Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production, while others are of historical interest only. These styles are largely (though not completely) independent of a car's classification in terms of price, size and intended broad market; the same car model might be available in multiple body styles. Car body style - Styles in current use. Cabrio coach or Semi-convertible  Style of automobile roof. A car that has a retractable textile cover ...

Including:

• Car body style - Styles in current use
• Car body style - Non-English terms
• Car body style - Alternative names
• Car body style - Historical body styles

Read more here: » Car body style: Encyclopedia - Car body style

Car body style - Non-English terms. Some non-English language terms are familiar from their use on imported vehicles in English-speaking nations even though the terms have not been adopted into English. Barchetta  Italian term for a roadster. The name means, roughly, "small boat". Berlina  Italian term for a sedan. Berline  French term for a sedan. Berlinetta  Italian term for a sports coupe ...

See also:

Car body style, Car body style - Styles in current use, Car body style - Non-English terms, Car body style - Alternative names, Car body style - Historical body styles

Read more here: » Car body style: Encyclopedia II - Car body style - Styles in current use

A vinyl is an organic molecule containing a vinyl, or ethene group. This term is especially used in relationship to vinyl polymers and plastics. The structure is represented as H2C=CHR where R represents a functional group such as a hydrocarbon or halogen. The vinyl group is also at the core of all allyl groups. Polyvinyl chloride - PVC - is made by polymerization of the monomer vinyl chloride (chloroethene) CH2=CHCl Polyvinyl alcohol - PVA - is made by polymerization of the monomer vinyl alco ...

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The Eldorado model was part of the Cadillac line from 1953 to 2003. The Cadillac Eldorado was the longest running American personal luxury car as it was the only one sold after the 1998 model year. Its main competitors included the Mark Series and the lower-priced Buick Riviera. The name, Eldorado was derived from the Spanish words "el dorado", the "gilded one", the name was given originally to the legendary chief or "cacique" of a S. American Indian tribe. Legend has it that his followers would sprinkle his body with gold dust on cer ...

Including:

• Cadillac Eldorado - History
• Cadillac Eldorado - The 1950s
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1955
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1957
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1959
• Cadillac Eldorado - The 1960s
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1967
• Cadillac Eldorado - The 1970s
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1971
• Cadillac Eldorado - The 1980s
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1979
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1986
• Cadillac Eldorado - The 1990s
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1992
• Cadillac Eldorado - 1998
• Cadillac Eldorado - The 2000s

Read more here: » Cadillac Eldorado: Encyclopedia - Cadillac Eldorado

Intended to compete with Cadillac's new front wheel drive Eldorado, which was launched as a 1967 model, the Mark III slotted in at the top end of the personal luxury car market alongside its Cadillac competitor, priced higher and better-appointed than such cars as the Ford Thunderbird, Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado. The Mark III shared another feature with the Eldorado; both were based on the underpinnings of another car in the same parent company's range. In the Eldorado's case it was the Toronado; Lincoln, similarly, took the under ...

See also:

Lincoln Continental Mark III, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Introduction, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Details, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Equipment, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Sales, Lincoln Continental Mark III - 1970, Lincoln Continental Mark III - 1971, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Today, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Lincoln Mark Series

Read more here: » Lincoln Continental Mark III: Encyclopedia II - Lincoln Continental Mark III - Details

For 1980, the XR-7 was again the only Cougar. Now on the Fox chassis, shared by the Mustang, the Cougar had returned to roots. But it was still a copy of the Thunderbird. The 1980-88 Cougars were nicknamed the "Fox Cougars" because of the new chassis. Opera windows became optional, although the louvered style of the old opera windows were applied to the standard-window coupes. Wipers were no longer hidden, and for the first time, the Cougar had sedan frames around its windows. Inside, there was a turn to flashy electronics, considered ultram ...

See also:

Mercury Cougar, Mercury Cougar - 1967–1973, Mercury Cougar - 1967-1970, Mercury Cougar - 1971-1973, Mercury Cougar - 1974–1979, Mercury Cougar - 1974-1976, Mercury Cougar - 1977-1979, Mercury Cougar - 1980–1988, Mercury Cougar - 1980-1982, Mercury Cougar - 1983-1986, Mercury Cougar - 1987-1988, Mercury Cougar - 1989–1997, Mercury Cougar - 1989-1990, Mercury Cougar - 1999–2002

Read more here: » Mercury Cougar: Encyclopedia II - Mercury Cougar - 1980–1988

The other automotive usage of the term "hardtop" is a body style known as the hardtop convertible. A hardtop convertible is a fixed-roof model designed to look like a convertible with the top raised. While some early models retained side window frames and B-pillars, by the 1950s most were pillarless hardtops, omitting the B-pillar (the roof support behind the front doors) and configuring the window frames, if any, to retract with the glass when lowered. Some hardtops took the convertible look even further, including such detail ...

See also:

Hardtop, Hardtop - Detachable hardtops, Hardtop - Retractable hardtop, Hardtop - Pillarless hardtops

Read more here: » Hardtop: Encyclopedia II - Hardtop - Pillarless hardtops

After much fanfare and publicity, the much-heralded Aries and Reliant twins made their debut in 1981. In response to the notoriety of the new cars, Chrysler added a small "K" emblem to the rear. The Aries was available as a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, or as a 4-door station wagon, in three different trim lines: base, Custom and SE ("Special Edition"). Station wagons came only in Custom or SE trim. The Aries was powered by a then-new 2.2 L I4 SOHC engine, with a Mitsubishi "Silent Shaft" 2.6 L as an option (curiously this engine als ...

See also:

Dodge Aries, Dodge Aries - Popularity, Dodge Aries - History, Dodge Aries - Quality

Read more here: » Dodge Aries: Encyclopedia II - Dodge Aries - History

A luxury range of large cars wore the LTD badge from 1965 to 1991 in the United States. The LTD name debuted as a high-line option package on the Galaxie 500, but became a separate model for 1967. The Ford Galaxie name continued for the lower levels. In 1975, the LTD name took over completely, although the long-standing economy line, the Custom 500, remained available through 1978 for fleet sales in the US and as a full line in Canada. The LTD often shared its grille and trim pieces with the Galaxie XL sport coupe and the Country Squire stat ...

See also:

Ford LTD, Ford LTD - North America, Ford LTD - Australia, Ford LTD - In fiction, Ford LTD - External link

Read more here: » Ford LTD: Encyclopedia II - Ford LTD - North America

The 1953 Eldorado was a special-bodied, low-production convertible (532 units in total). It was the production version of the 1952 El Dorado "Golden Anniversary" concept car. Available in four unique colors (Aztec Red, Alpine White, Azure Blue and Artisan Ochre - the latter is a yellow hue, although it was shown erroneously as black in the color folder issued on this rare model). Convertible tops were available in either black or white Orlon. There was no special badging on the car, other than the "Eldorado" nameplate, in "gold", in the cent ...

See also:

Cadillac Eldorado, Cadillac Eldorado - History, Cadillac Eldorado - The 1950s, Cadillac Eldorado - 1955, Cadillac Eldorado - 1957, Cadillac Eldorado - 1959, Cadillac Eldorado - The 1960s, Cadillac Eldorado - 1967, Cadillac Eldorado - The 1970s, Cadillac Eldorado - 1971, Cadillac Eldorado - The 1980s, Cadillac Eldorado - 1979, Cadillac Eldorado - 1986, Cadillac Eldorado - The 1990s, Cadillac Eldorado - 1992, Cadillac Eldorado - 1998, Cadillac Eldorado - The 2000s

Read more here: » Cadillac Eldorado: Encyclopedia II - Cadillac Eldorado - The 1950s

The production Riviera (unusually for a GM product) shared its bodyshell with no other model. It rode a cruciform frame similar to the standard Buick frame, but shorter and narrower, with a 2.0 in (50.8 mm) narrower track. Its wheelbase of 117 in (2972 mm) and overall length of 208 in (5283 mm) were 6.0 inches (152.4 mm) and 7.7 in (195.8 mm) shorter, respectively, than a Buick LeSabre, but slightly longer than a contemporary Thunderbird. At 4190 lb (1900 kg), it was about 200 lb (90.7 kg) lighter than either. It shared the standard Buick V8 ...

See also:

Buick Riviera, Buick Riviera - Origin of the name, Buick Riviera - Origins of the personal luxury car, Buick Riviera - First generation 1963-1965, Buick Riviera - Second generation 1966-1970, Buick Riviera - Third generation 1971-1973, Buick Riviera - The rest of the third generation 1974-1976, Buick Riviera - Fourth generation 1977-1978, Buick Riviera - Fifth generation 1979-1985, Buick Riviera - Sixth generation 1986-1993, Buick Riviera - Seventh generation 1995-1999

Read more here: » Buick Riviera: Encyclopedia II - Buick Riviera - First generation 1963-1965

Ford Thunderbird - 1955-1957 Classic Birds. The car was shown at the first postwar Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. The first production car came off the line on September 9, 1954. It went on sale on October 22, 1954) as a 1955 model, and sold briskly; 3,500 orders were placed in the first ten days of sale. Ford had only projected building 10,000; eventual 1955 sales were 16,155. As standard, the 1955 Thunderbird included a removable fiberglass top; a fabric convertible top was an option, although c ...

See also:

Ford Thunderbird, Ford Thunderbird - Genesis, Ford Thunderbird - Naming, Ford Thunderbird - Generations, Ford Thunderbird - 1955-1957 Classic Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1958-1960 Square Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1961-1963 Bullet Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1964-1966 Flair Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1967-1971 Glamor Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1972-1976 Big Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1977-1979 Torino Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1980-1982 Box Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1983-1988 Aero Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 1989-1997 Super Birds, Ford Thunderbird - 2002-2005 Retro Birds, Ford Thunderbird - Sources, Ford Thunderbird - External link

Read more here: » Ford Thunderbird: Encyclopedia II - Ford Thunderbird - Generations

The Mark IV carried over most styling motifs from the successful Mark III, including the tall Rolls-Royce-style grille (even taller on the Mark IV), the fashionable long-hood short-deck style, covered headlamps, a "spare tire hump" in the trunk, and the taller, knife-edged fender line. The car was both longer and wider than the Mark III, and was slightly more rounded in shape, the fender line losing some of its straightness and sharpness. The wheel openings on the Mark III wear somewhat tear-dropped at the trailing edge, but the Mark IV's were symmetrical front to rear ...

See also:

Lincoln Continental Mark IV, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Styling, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Mechanical specification, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Limited editions, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Designer editions, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Sales and pricing, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Specifications 1976 model, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Lincoln Mark Series

Read more here: » Lincoln Continental Mark IV: Encyclopedia II - Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Styling

Since the 1930s the appeal of a solid roof that can be lowered or retracted at will has been obvious. Perhaps the first such "retrac" was the 1934 Peugeot Cabriolet 301 Eclipse, which had a one-piece metal roof that could be stowed beneath the clamshell rear deck. The operation was manual, not automatic; while the designers had originally intended the roof to be electrically operated, period mo ...

See also:

Hardtop, Hardtop - Detachable hardtops, Hardtop - Retractable hardtop, Hardtop - Pillarless hardtops

Read more here: » Hardtop: Encyclopedia II - Hardtop - Retractable hardtop

For the 1976 model year, Lincoln introduced the Designer Series; special edition Mark IVs with color, trim and interior choices by famous fashion designers. All carried the designer's signature on the opera windows, and had a 22 karat (92%) gold plated plaque on the instrument panel which could be engraved with the original owner's name. The concept was successful, and future Lincolns would continue to offer designer editions. For 1976, four designer editions were offered: The Bill Blass Edition was in dark blue wi ...

See also:

Lincoln Continental Mark IV, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Styling, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Mechanical specification, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Limited editions, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Designer editions, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Sales and pricing, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Specifications 1976 model, Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Lincoln Mark Series

Read more here: » Lincoln Continental Mark IV: Encyclopedia II - Lincoln Continental Mark IV - Designer editions

The 1967 Cougar was based on that year's new second-generation Mustang, but with a 3 inch (76 mm) longer wheelbase and new sheet metal. A full-width divided grille with hidden headlamps and vertical bars defined the front fascia — it was sometimes called the electric shaver grille. At the rear, a similar treatment saw the license plate surrounded on both sides with vertically slatted grillework concealing sequential taillights, a styling touch taken from the Thunderbird. A deliberate effort was made to give the car a more "European" flavor ...

See also:

Mercury Cougar, Mercury Cougar - 1967–1973, Mercury Cougar - 1967-1970, Mercury Cougar - 1971-1973, Mercury Cougar - 1974–1979, Mercury Cougar - 1974-1976, Mercury Cougar - 1977-1979, Mercury Cougar - 1980–1988, Mercury Cougar - 1980-1982, Mercury Cougar - 1983-1986, Mercury Cougar - 1987-1988, Mercury Cougar - 1989–1997, Mercury Cougar - 1989-1990, Mercury Cougar - 1999–2002

Read more here: » Mercury Cougar: Encyclopedia II - Mercury Cougar - 1967–1973

For 1974, the Cougar was shifted onto a new platform and into a new market as a personal luxury car. It now shared a chassis with the larger Mercury Montego/Ford Torino intermediates and was twinned up with the new Ford Elite. The Cougar thus became practically the only car to be upsized during the downsizing decade of the 1970s. These years marked the end of the "luxurious Mustang", and the beginning of the Cougar's move towards becoming a "junior Thunderbird ...

See also:

Mercury Cougar, Mercury Cougar - 1967–1973, Mercury Cougar - 1967-1970, Mercury Cougar - 1971-1973, Mercury Cougar - 1974–1979, Mercury Cougar - 1974-1976, Mercury Cougar - 1977-1979, Mercury Cougar - 1980–1988, Mercury Cougar - 1980-1982, Mercury Cougar - 1983-1986, Mercury Cougar - 1987-1988, Mercury Cougar - 1989–1997, Mercury Cougar - 1989-1990, Mercury Cougar - 1999–2002

Read more here: » Mercury Cougar: Encyclopedia II - Mercury Cougar - 1974–1979

Before the mid-1920s 90% of automobiles had open tops, with rudimentary (if any) weather protection provided by a convertible-type canvas top and celluloid or isinglass side curtains. Some automobile bodies had roofs that could be removed during the summer and reattached during the winter, although it was a cumbersome and laborious job. By the time of World War One some automakers offered a lift-off roof, typically with a wood frame, canvas or leather covering, and glass windows. These removable roofs, sometimes called a California top, were the forerunners of the detachable hardtop, offering security and weather protection c ...

See also:

Hardtop, Hardtop - Detachable hardtops, Hardtop - Retractable hardtop, Hardtop - Pillarless hardtops

Read more here: » Hardtop: Encyclopedia II - Hardtop - Detachable hardtops

Of the three names, the Cougar returned sooner. It became a much smaller coupe based on the CDW-27 platform, the same platform that serves as the basis for the Ford Mondeo (Ford Contour & Mercury Mystique in the United States). This generation of cougar had a far more contemporary package, with modern DOHC 4-valve engines, a fully independent multilink suspension, and front wheel drive. This was also the first hatchback Cougar, and the first to have its own body, unshared by any Ford. The body design used a philosophy Ford dubbed ...

See also:

Mercury Cougar, Mercury Cougar - 1967–1973, Mercury Cougar - 1967-1970, Mercury Cougar - 1971-1973, Mercury Cougar - 1974–1979, Mercury Cougar - 1974-1976, Mercury Cougar - 1977-1979, Mercury Cougar - 1980–1988, Mercury Cougar - 1980-1982, Mercury Cougar - 1983-1986, Mercury Cougar - 1987-1988, Mercury Cougar - 1989–1997, Mercury Cougar - 1989-1990, Mercury Cougar - 1999–2002

Read more here: » Mercury Cougar: Encyclopedia II - Mercury Cougar - 1999–2002

Confusingly, there have actually been two cars named the Continental Mark III - the first, and largely forgotten, was launched in 1958 by the short-lived Continental division of Ford, and was somewhat of a sales disaster (not helped by the recession of that year). The second car to bear that name (as a Lincoln, however) was launched in April 1968 as a 1969 model, a little earlier in the year than new models are normally introduced. This is common when the model is a new vehicle that doesn't replace a ...

See also:

Lincoln Continental Mark III, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Introduction, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Details, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Equipment, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Sales, Lincoln Continental Mark III - 1970, Lincoln Continental Mark III - 1971, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Today, Lincoln Continental Mark III - Lincoln Mark Series

Read more here: » Lincoln Continental Mark III: Encyclopedia II - Lincoln Continental Mark III - Introduction