- Car body style
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unreferenced = November 2007
original research = November 2007
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 samecar model might be available in multiple body styles (ormodel range s). For some of the following terms, especially relating to four-wheel drive / SUV models and minivan / MPV models, the distinction between body style and classification is particularly narrow.Please note that while each body style has a historical and technical definition, in common usage such definitions are often blurred. Over time, the common usage of each term evolves. For example, people often call 4-passenger sport coupés a "sports car", while purists will insist that a sports car by definition is limited to two-place vehicles.
tyles in current use
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4x4 or 4WD ("four-by-four" or "four-wheel drive") : A four-wheeled vehicle with adrivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously. The terms are usually (but not exclusively) used in Europe to describe what is referred to in North America as a sport utility vehicle orSUV (see below).;Cabrio coach or Semi-convertible : A form of car roof, where a retractable textile cover amounts to a largesunroof . Fundamental to various older designs such as theCitroën 2CV ; sometimes an option on modern cars.;Cabriolet : A term for a "convertible" (see below).;Convertible : A body style with a flexible textile folding roof or rigid retracting roof — of highly variable design detail — to allow driving in open or enclosed modes.;Coupé : A 2-door, 2- or 4-seat car with a fixed roof. Its doors are often longer than those of an equivalent sedan and the rear passenger area smaller; the roof may also be low. In cases where the rear seats are very small and not intended for regular use it is called a 2+2 (pronounced "two plus two"). Originally, a coupé was required to have only one side window per side, but this consideration has not been used for many years.;Coupé utility (ute): the coupé utility is a passenger-car derived light truck with coupé passenger cabin lines and an integral cargo bed. ;Crossover (or CUV) : A loose marketing term to describe a vehicle that blends features of aSUV with features of a car — especially forgoing thebody on frame construction of the SUV in favor of the car'sunibody ormonocoque construction. ;Estate car (or just "estate") : The British term for whatNorth America ns call a "station wagon".;Fastback : A design where the roof slopes at a smooth angle to the tail of the car, but the rear window does not open as a separate "door".;Hardtop : A style of car roof. Originally referred to a removable solid roof on a "convertible"; later, also a fixed-roof car whose doors have no fixed window frames, which is designed to resemble such a convertible.;Hatchback : Identified by a rear door including the back window that opens vertically to access a storage area not separated from the rest of the passenger compartment. May be 3 or 5 door and 2 to 5 seats, but generally in the US the tailgate isn't counted making it a 2-door and 4-door.;Hearse : A convertedluxury car usually used to transport the dead. Often longer and heavier than the vehicle on which they are usually based.;Leisure activity vehicle : A smallvan , generally related to a supermini, with a second or even a third seat row, and a large, tall boot.;Liftback : A style of coupé with a "hatchback"; this name is generally used when the opening area is very sloped (and is thus lifted up to open).;Limousine : By definition, achauffeur -driven car with a (normally glass-windowed) division between the front seats and the rear. In German, the term simply means a sedan.;Minibus : Designed to carry fewer people than a full-size bus, generally up to 16 people in multiple rows of seats. Passenger access in normally via a sliding door on one side of the vehicle. One example of a van with a minibus version available is the Ford Transit.;Minivan : North American term for a boxy wagon-type of car usually containing three or four rows of seats, with a capacity of six or more passengers. Often with extra luggage space also. As opposed to the larger van, the minivan was developed primarily as a passenger vehicle, though is more van-like than a station wagon. In Britain, these are generally referred to aspeople carrier s.;Muscle car : Popularsports cars during the late 1960s and the 1970s. Were also used asrace cars .;MPV : Multi-purpose vehicle, a large car or small bus designed to be used on and off-road and easily convertible to facilitate loading of goods from facilitating carrying people. ;Notchback : A cross between the smoothfastback and angled sedan look. It is a sedan type with a separate trunk compartment.;People carrier or people mover: European name to describe what is usually referred to in North America as anMinivan .;Pickup truck a.k.a pickup : A small, medium, or large-sized truck, though smaller in every case than aSemi tractor truck. The passenger cabin is wholly separated from the cargo bed.;Pillarless: Usually a prefix to "coupé", "fastback", or "hardtop"; completely open at the sides when the windows are down, without a central pillar, e.g. the Sunbeam Rapier fastback coupé.;Ragtop: Originally an open car like a "roadster", but with a soft top (cloth top) that can be raised or lowered. Unlike aconvertible , it had no roll-up side windows. Now often used as slang for a convertible.;Retractable Hardtop : aka Coupé convertible or Coupé Cabriolet. A type of convertible forgoing a foldable textile roof in favor of a multi-segment rigid roof retracts into the lower bodywork. ;Roadster : Originally a two-seat open car with minimal weather protection — without top or side glass — though possibly with optional hard or soft top and side curtains (i.e., without roll-up glass windows). In modern usage, the term means simply a two-seatsports car "convertible", a variation of "spyder.";Sedan: A car seating four or more with a fixed roof that is full-height up to the rear window. Known in British English as a saloon. Sedans can have 2 or 4 doors. This is the most common body styleFact|date=August 2008. In the U.S., this term has been usedwho? to denote a car with fixed window frames, as opposed to the "hardtop" style wherein the sash, if any, winds down with the glass.;Sedan delivery : North American term for a vehicle similar to a "wagon" but without side windows, similar to apanel truck but with a door on each side, and with atailgate or one or two rear doors . Often shortened to "delivery".Fact|date=August 2008;Sport utility vehicle (SUV) : Derivative of a pickup truck or 4-wheel-drive vehicle, but with fully-enclosed passenger cabin interior and carlike levels of interior equipment. Colloquially known in Australia as 'soft-roaders' or 'Toorak tractors' [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/ross-gittins/toorak-tractors-stuck-in-mud-as-car-sales-boom/2005/08/02/1122748632932.html] ] .;Spyder (or Spider) : Similar to a "roadster" but originally with less weather protection. The term originated from a small two-seat horse cart with a folding sunshade made of four bows.Fact|date=August 2008 With its black cloth top and exposed sides for air circulation, the top resembled a spider. Nowadays it simply means a convertiblesports car .;Shooting brake : A two-door estate car; generally for vintage or extremely expensive vehicles. They were vehicles for the well-off shooter and hunter, giving space to carry shotguns and other equipment. Usually made to order bycoachbuilder s.Facts|date=August 2008 The term is occasionally revived.;Station wagon : A car with a full-height body all the way to the rear; the load-carrying space created is accessed via a rear door or doors. Sometimes shortened to just "wagon".;Surrey top : Similar to the Porsche Targa top, the surrey top was developed by Triumph in 1962 for the TR4.;T-top : A derivative of the Targa top, called a T-bar roof, this fixed-roof design has two removable panels and retains a central narrow roof section along the front to back axis of the car ("e.g."Toyota MR2 Mark I.);Targa top : A semi-convertible style used on some sports cars, featuring a fully removable hard top roof panel which leaves the A and B pillars in place on the car body. ("e.g."Fiat X1/9 ). Strictly, the term originated from and is trademarked byPorsche for a derivate of its 911 series, the Porsche 911 Targa, itself named after the famousTarga Florio rally. A related styling motif is the Targa band, sometimes called a wrapover band which is a single piece of chrome or other trim extending over the roof of the vehicle and down the sides to the bottom of the windows. It was probably named because the original Porsche Targa had such a band behind its removable roof panel in the late 60s.;Ute: Australian/New Zealand English term for the Coupe Utility body style (see above). Sometimes used informally to refer to any utility vehicle, particularly light trucks such as apickup truck . In American English, sport-ute is sometimes usedWho? to refer to an SUV (see above). ;Van : InNorth America "van" refers to a truck-based commercial vehicle of the wagon style, whether used for passenger or commercial use. Usually a van has no windows at the side rear (panel van), although for passenger use, side windows are included. In other parts of the world, 'van' denotes a passenger-based wagon with no rear side windows.;Wagon delivery : North American term (mainly U.S. and Canada). Similar to a "sedan delivery", with four doors. Sometimes shortened to "delivery"; used alone, "delivery" is presumed to be a sedan delivery. No longer manufactured.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 aroadster . The name means, roughly, "small boat".;Berlina : Italian term for a sedan.;Berline : French term for a sedan.;Berlinetta : Italian term for a sportcoupé .;Break : French term for astation wagon .;Carrinha : Portuguese term for astation wagon .;Espada : Portuguese nickname for alimousine (the same word for "Sword" - long piece of metal).;Furgoneta : Portuguese term for avan .;Furgão : Portuguese alternative term (less used) for avan .;Jeep : German, Portuguese, Hebrew and Greek term for asport utility vehicle . Originally from the English-languagejeep , of which the name's origins can be researched on the Jeep page.;Kombi : is a German abbreviation of "Kombinationswagen" (Combination Car) and it is German name forstation wagon . And sinceGermany is a major producer of cars for many European countries, the term Kombi in this meaning is also used in Swedish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Bulgarian. In Afrikaans, Kombi is also used to refer to a Volkswagen Microbus;Turismo : Spanish term for a sedan. Literally meanstourism , used mostly in Latin American countries.Alternative names
Car manufacturers sometimes invent names for the body styles of their cars for the purpose of differentiating themselves from other manufacturers. These names are often, but not always, adaptations of other words and terms. The body styles themselves correlate closely to those listed above.
;Aerodeck : Name used by
Honda in the 1990s for itsstation wagon /estate models.;Avant : A name used by German makerAudi for theirstation wagon /estate car models.;Bakkie : A genericSouth Africa n term for light pickup truck.;Break : A term used by Peugeot and Citroen to describe estates ;El Camino : (Spanish) In English: "the road". A trademark ofChevrolet , the 1959 El Camino was a half-car (front) and half-truck (back) with low walls surrounding the bed. In other words, it used thecoupé utility body style. "El Camino" is used by some in the US as a generic term for any passenger car with an integral cargo bed. While the 1957 Ford Ranchero with similar body style debuted before the El Camino, it did not have the success of its Chevrolet counterpart. ;Caravan : Used byOpel for its station wagon/estate car models.;Combi : Used bySkoda for its station wagon/estate car models.;Combi coupé : A name used by Saab for a cross between a "saloon" and an "estate car", essentially a "hatchback". Called "SportCombi" in the United States.;Corniche : Sometimes used to describe a "luxury sedan" or "town car". Actually a trade mark of Rolls-Royce.;Coupe Roadster : TheMercedes-Benz name for their convertibles with a removable hardtop.;Fordor and Tudor : These names were coined byFord Motor Company in the 1950s to describe four-door and two-door bodystyles respectively. These terms were used sporadically into the 1960s.;Giardinetta : Name used in Italy in the 70s and early 80s in models for anAutobianchi three-doorstation wagon based onFiat 600 , as well as a similar version of theAlfa Romeo Alfasud .;Hardtop Convertible : Aretractable hardtop , e.g., the 1958Ford Skyliner orPeugeot 's "décapotable électrique" of 1934. ;HPE : Short for "High Performance Estate", a name used byLancia for astation wagon version of their Beta model. Resurrected for the three-door hatch version of theLancia Delta Mk II.;Kammback : Originally, a car with a tapered rear that cuts off abruptly, after that shape's inventorWunibald Kamm , commonly seen especially onsports car s. However, this usage is rare nowadays. In North America during the 1970s this style was used in theChevrolet Vega wagon andAMC Hornet wagon, and so many think of it as another word for "station wagon" or "hatchback" respectively even though it refers to the very specific aerodynamic design of the back of the car. This style is seeing a resurgence on modern vehicles (2004Toyota Prius andHonda Insight ) in the interests of gasoline economy.;Nevada : Popular station wagon/estate version of theRenault 21 , so much that people dropped the 21 when referring to it.;Notchback : Originally, a sedan or possibly a coupe with a backlight (rear window) which slanted backward, so that the top of the roof extended further backward than the bottom of the window. Some types of the1958 Lincoln had this, as well as some of Ford's British cars. Later, it became used for sedans or coupes which are not fastbacks, including many hatchbacks. ;Panorama : Used byFiat forstation wagon s during the late 1970s and early 1980s, notably the 127, 128 and 131. Replaced by the Weekend designation in the mid 1980s, but kept for passenger versions of light commercial vehicles.;Pillared Hardtop : This name was used by Ford in the 1970s to describe its bodies which had frameless door glass like a hardtop, but retained a center pillar like a sedan. The 1972-1976 Torino sedans and wagons were of this type, as were the 1975-1979Lincoln Town Car s. When GM introduced a similar style on their intermediates for 1973-1977, they called the two-doors Colonnade Hardtop Coupe and the four-doors, in a triumph of ad agency gibberish, Colonnade Hardtop Sedan. The 1976Buick Century sedan used this configuration. Before Ford introduced its "Pillared Hardtops" in the early seventies, GM had the same body style available on its "C" body cars (Buick Electra 225, Oldsmobile 98 and Cadillacs) from 1965 to 1970. GM called them "semi-thin pillar sedans" as they had a slightly larger center pillars than other GM sedans (that were called "thin pillar sedans") but they had no window frames like the "thin pillar sedans" had.;Prairie: A high roofedstation wagon , after the Nissan model of the same name.;Sport Activity Coupe (SAC): This name is used byBMW for their X5-based X6, which is called so because although it's an SUV, the X6 has the styling, ride height, and seating capacity of a typical coupe.;Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV): This name is used byBMW for their "sport utility vehicle" models. It was first used on the X5 and later on the X3.;Sport sedan orSports sedan : is how General Motors calls its models bySaab automobile .;Sportshatch: This term, which has been used by GM for several European models, has been applied to a number of body styles: A sporty liftback or hatchback and a sporty variant of a 2-door estate car (e.g.Vauxhall Magnum Sportshatch).;Sportwagon : A term used by Alfa Romeo to describe estates ;Sports Wagon: A term used by a number of manufacturers in the North American market for their station wagon models, an example of the Sports Wagon would be the 1960sBuick Sport Wagon and the currentDodge Magnum . Auto manufacturers in recent years perceive a stigma attached to the term 'station wagon', and attempt to make these models sound more exciting. ;SW: A term used by Peugeot to describe estates (eg.Peugeot 407 SW);Tourer: Used byRover for its station wagon/estate car models.;Touring: Used byBMW andMercedes-Benz in Europe for its station wagon/estate car models. In North America, "Sports Wagon" is used instead.;Traveller: Name applied to theMini 's estate version. Later co-opted by Nissan and used for estate versions of the Sunny and Primera in Europe. ;Turnier: Used by Ford in Europe for its station wagon/estate car models. Alternatively called Clipper in some markets.;Variant: Used byVolkswagen for its station wagon/estate car models.;Vario: Used bySEAT for its station wagon/estate car models.;Verso: Used byToyota for MPV versions of the Yaris/Vitz, Corolla and Avensis.;Volante : Used byAston Martin for convertibles.;Weekend : Used byFiat for station wagons since the 1980s, including the Regata, Tempra and Marea, as well as the small Brazilian-builtworld car estates Duna and Palio.Historical body styles
Most early body styles were derived from those available in horse-drawn
carriage s and used thecoachbuilding terms for them, although often their application in the automobile differed from the carriage use. Other types were soon invented, and either used modifications of earlier terminology or wholly new terms to describe them. Some of these terms are occasionally used in modern model designations, but almost always inaccurately with respect to their historical meaning (e.g.Lincoln Town Car ,Volkswagen Phaeton ).;
Brougham : Generally equivalent to a "sedan", but more likely to have closed rear quarters and sometimes more luxuriously trimmed. ;Bubble car : Inexpensive, extremely small footprint vehicles, manufactured in Europe's depressed post-World War II economy. Modern descendants are thekeicar andcity car .;Close-coupled sedan : A four-windowed sedan with a trunk that from front to rear was almost as thin as an upright suitcase. The rear-seat passengers sat a little bit forward of the differential.Ford Motor Company called its version a "Victoria" in the 1930s. ;Coupé convertible : A "coupé" with a "convertible" top, naturally. Fully enclosed with the top up and side windows up. Called a "drophead coupé" in the United Kingdom.;Drophead coupe : As a "coupé", but with a full convertible top. British terminology, and dropping out of use for most modern cars, though luxury British makes occasionally still use it. Compare American use of "coupe convertible"; contrast with "fixed-head coupé".;Fixed-head coupé : British term for a standard coupé with a fixed solid roof, as opposed to a "drophead coupé". In cases where the rear seats are very small and not intended for regular use these are sometimes called a 2+2.;Hansom : A fixed-roof car with a mostly-enclosed cabin in front and a high-mounted open drivers seat in the rear.;Landau : In automobiles, generally (inaccurately) synonymous with "landaulet"; also used for a car with a "simulated" folding top and falselandau bar s. This latter usage is still current.;Landaulet (Landaulette) : A car in which there is a roof over the front seats and the rear doors (possibly with a center row of seats) but with a folding convertible roof over the rear quarters. ;Phaeton : An open car, normally describing a double or triple-row phaeton. There is often a folding fabric top but no side weather protection. Early Phaetons had a high-mounted rear seat for the driver. The modernVW Phaeton derives its name, but nothing else, from this style.;Roi des Belges : Named afterKing Leopold II of Belgium who ordered the first example. A large open car with high built seats and the rear seat usually set higher than the front seat. Also know more rarely as a Tulip Phaeton because of the side profile of the rear of the car resembling the shape of a tulip flower head..;Runabout : A popular open light body style, normally with a single bench seat but sometimes with a reartonneau . Most cars in the first decade of the 20th century were either runabouts ortouring car s.;Stanhope : A car with a single bench seat mounted at the center, a folding cloth top, and only abuckboard at the front.;Tonneau : A car in which the rear compartment passengers enter through a rear, rather than side, door. Often completely open (no top).;Torpedo : Basically a convertible, with low side panels and doors.;Touring car : A larger car, normally with two rows of seats (with atonneau ) and a large compartment at the front.;Town brougham : Equivalent to a "town car", but, as with the "brougham", more likely to have closed rear quarters.;Town car : A car in which the front seats were open and the rear compartment closed, normally with a removable top to cover the frontchauffeur 's compartment. The modernLincoln Town Car derives its name, but nothing else, from this style.;Town landaulet ,Town landau : Combining the "town car" and "landaulet", this car is open over the driver's compartment, closed over the rear doors, and with an opening convertible top over the rear quarters.ee also
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ACRISS Car Classification Code
*Automotive design
*Bodywork
*Car classification
*Car model
*Coach convertible
*Three wheeled car
*Vehicle size class
*Vinyl roof
*Woodie External links
* [http://www.cartoday.com/content/car_magazine/booklets/techo_terms/index1.asp Car terminology glossary]
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