Etimology

[Mick]

Hi.
What is the etimology for the words "coupé" "landau" "sedán" "phaeton" "station wagon" "roadster" "tudor" and others similar ?

I only heard "sedán" comes from french "Cest dans" (or being inside), from early horseless carriages after the turn of the previous century when pasengers were seated in an enclosed cabin, even when the driver was not.
Thanks,
Mick

[JIM CLC # 15000]

03-30-05
Boy-e, you can tell Im haveing fun, readn the old posts.
Yann, there is another name of a body style that has not come up here.
you could make it number 8. on your list.
It is "Coach". used to discribe a two-door car, or horse drawn- stage coach.
Good Luck, Jim

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Yann,
Where on earth did the term shooting brake come from? Ive heard of it before, but it just doesnt make sense to me.

[George]

Just a small footnote. The english no longer have shooting brakes. A Station Wagon is now called an Estate Car. but who cares?

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Probably those who have or wished they had estates.

[densie]

> The wood grained examples found up to the 80s and 90s were but a throwback to the days of the wood bodied cars. They originally were to reflect on the excluveness and beauty of the originals, usually the lowest production and most expensive body in any manufacturers line-up.

   ...and probably a record for the biggest resale markup on Contac(tm) paper.

   Sorry...I hate those things.  After a few years, it fades and cracks, then its a pain to get off, like an old vinyl top.  Anything put on a car (like the new paint jobs) that is made to last less than three years, really ticks me off.

-densie

[densie]

  I tried looking up sedan and coupé in Cassells.  The coupé, as you mentioned, refers to things that are cut in two, but there is also a reference to a dance step or kind of "Brougham".

  Ive always wanted to know what "Brougham" meant.  Of course that was not in the book.  I dont recall ever seeing a 2-door Brougham, but then again, Ive always, since I was 16, gone for the 4-doors.   (Yes, they had cars back then). They seem more luxurious to me, and the doors are easier to open and close.

  Also looked up Sedan, and the only definition was "Sedan-cloth".  That doesnt tell you much.

-densie

[densie 20352]

  Cabriolet is also French.  From the Petit Larousse, a French encyclopedia,

  Voiture hippomobile légère à deux roues, généralement à capote.  

  A small, light, horse-drawn car with two wheels, typically with a top over it.  Another definition suggests that the top could be removed.

  Pardon my French.

-densie

[densie]

  I care.  I love station wagons.

  Seeing Cadillac station wagons at your local dealer in the 60s and 70s wouldnt have been any dumber than seeing SUVs there now.  

-densie

[Rhino 21150]

FWIW, I found this elsewhere on the net.
The first station wagons were a product of the age of train travel. They were originally called depot hacks because they worked around train depots as hacks (short for hackney carriage, an old name for taxis). They also came to be known as carryalls and suburbans. The name station wagon is a derivative of depot hack; it was a wagon that carried people and luggage from the train station to various local destinations.

n the United Kingdom, a very specific type, rare these days, is known as a shooting brake. These are modifications of luxury coupé³ with an estate car-like back fitted. They generally remain with two side doors. The purpose of them, historically, is obvious from the name; they were vehicles for the well-off shooter and hunter, giving space to carry shotguns and other equipment. They have rarely been made by the factory and are generally aftermarket conversions; some are still made. Up through the early 1960s many of them were built as woodies, making them some of the most exclusive and luxurious woodies ever built.
http://p098.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm1.showMessage?topicID=11993.topic TARGET=_blank>http://p098.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm1.showMessage?topicID=11993.topic

[Yann Saunders, CLC No. 12588]

Once again, the clubs own Cadillac Database to the rescue:

http://www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Sty_apdx.htm TARGET=_blank>http://www.car-nection.com/yann/Dbas_txt/Sty_apdx.htm