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Phaeton body
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Phaeton automobiles were initially very similar in appearance to the light, fast, four-wheeled horse-drawn phaeton carriages from which they derived their name.
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Encyclopedia
Phaeton automobiles were initially very similar in appearance to the light, fast, four-wheeled horse-drawn phaeton carriages from which they derived their name. Key characteristics were at least one traverse (side-by-side) seat and two axles. "Double" and "triple" designations were used to refer to larger phaeton bodies with respectively two or three "rows" of traverse seats.
After 1912, American use of the term began to be most closely associated with the "triple phaeton" body configurations that had room for three seats whether or not all three were installed. Common usage further evolved to refer to a car body style, similar to a sedan or convertible sedan, where the rear seat area was extended for added leg room or for an additional row of seating. This often gave the vehicle the appearance that it was meant to be chauffeur-operated. This body type was popular up to the early years of World War II.
During the early automotive years, though most were of the extended passenger seat area (1925 Studebaker Phaeton, 1941 Buick Roadmaster 4-door Phaeton) or additional row seating variety, others had custom body types. Some models had a driver's row with no roof with a passengers' row with a fixed roof (1930 Duesenberg J Murphy Town Car), while other models had their driver's and passengers' rows separated by a cowl and sometimes a folding windshield (1931 Cadillac V-16 dual cowl Phaeton).
During the late 1930s, Cord built 2-door convertible sedans with "Phaeton" included in the name (1937 Cord 810 Phaeton). However, this may have been a marketing embellishment and not an indication to the type of body.
Modern phaetons lack the second row cowl or the cabin dividing wall. Though most manufacturers do not really use the word Phaeton when marketing these vehicles, the sedan-like body with extended rear seat area continues in model line-ups of many luxury marques (Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas, Maybach 57 and 62). In 2004, Volkswagen introduced their flagship vehicle which donned the name Phaeton, and boasted an enormous cabin, both front and rear, which was major competition to the similar bodied BMW 750 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The VW Phaeton was pulled from the U.S. Market in 2006 due to poor sales.
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