Phaeton Body - History

History

In automotive terms, the phaeton was originally a light two-seater with minimal coachwork, similar to a racing car. The term was interchangeable with spyder, which may be due to the spyder's origin in the spider phaeton. However, there were also double phaetons, with two rows of seats, triple phaetons, or even closed phaetons. Eventually, the term "phaeton" became so widely and loosely applied that almost any vehicle with two axles and a row or rows of seats across the body could be called a phaeton.

After 1912, American use of the term began to be most closely associated with the "triple phaeton" body configurations that had room for three ("rows" of) seats whether or not all three were installed. Common usage further evolved to refer to a car body style 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 led to the term "phaeton" becoming similar to, and eventually interchangeable with, the term "touring car". This body type was popular up to the early years of World War II.

A specific use of the term "phaeton" is with the dual cowl phaeton, a body style in which the rear passengers were separated from the driver and the front passengers by a cowl or bulkhead, often with its own folding windshield.

The phaeton and the touring car were ultimately supplanted by the convertible, an open car which could be fully closed with windows in the doors. The Chrysler Phaeton concept car shows what a modern phaeton might look like.