Re: Advice from those in the know on 1949 Super 8 Coupe

Posted by Fish'n Jim On 2022/6/30 10:07:01

If you go to the side bar and click on "model info" you can see all the variants.
Autos derived from horse carriages. The early motor vehicles were adapted carriages with an engine added(horseless carriage). So terminology is carry over; Cabriolet, Landaulet, etc. Coach builders often converted to making auto bodies as the need waned so the terminology followed. They used coach wood framing in the early/pre-war bodies.
Sedan is an old term that referred to many things, including a chair, but when adopted for autos after turn of century, usually means it has separate engine, passenger, and cargo compartments. Too vague/general to be of use in naming, even that was adapted generally to differentiate 4 doors v 2 doors. I guess they were not happy with 2 door or 4 door in marketing.
A coupe (Fr) was a horse coach for two with an outside driver so it's also adapted, not how autos appear. A business coupe usually has a pass through or extended deck to the trunk for storage or sleeping. In the US 4 doors => sedan , 2 - doors => coupe or 2 dr sedan even though they're all sedans? A lot of that genericism came from "coupe de ville" which is widely misunderstood.
Packard seemed to prefer the club sedan for 2 doors with back seat but sedan for 4 doors. 2 door & two passenger were "P" coupes. eg; GM used sedanette for two door (club) "sedans". Brand variants.
I think some people never really liked the bath tub styling, so they personalized them to meet their tastes as this one has been over time. The rocker trim is 22 but the belt spear side is later, and none had both. Custom tail trim, etc., it's not a "good example", per se. aka, bargaining chips.