what is the dif between cars? say 1971 4 door skylark with post that goes up to the roof, one with post to the top of the doors, then a 2 door? just cant seem to get it
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan A hardtop has no B-pillar, which is the pillar between the front and rear side windows. A hardtop can be 2-doors or 4-doors. A coupe is a body style that can be a proper hardtop or with a B-pillar. It usually has a swoopier roofline (think Riviera) or even a Skylark 2-door, although the former is more of a proper coupe. A sedan can have either two or four doors, always has a B-pillar (except a "Hardtop Sedan"), and the roofline is not sleek. Compare these two 1966 Plymouths. Notwithstanding the B-pillar, the dowdier one is a sedan. Also, please note the spelling of "sedan."
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan "Hardtop" was originally used to describe a hardtop convertible. Picture a ragtop Skylark/GS with all the windows down. No "B" pillar at all, just wide open space from front to rear. The hardtop was used to simulate the same effect. Window openings like a convertible but with a hard top.
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan So Diego, would a hardtop sedan have the framed-in windows on the doors?
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan Nope. A hardtop sedan is merely a 4-door hardtop. Here's Buick's first from 1956:
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan Oh gotcha! Yeah that was actually pretty popular for all cars through mid 70's I think. Saw an Electra 4 door on Mecum the other day like that. With no pillar and the windows down it looked like an aircraft carrier! I think it was a 66 or 67. White one.
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan Until you see this: A 1955 Roadmaster pillared sedan hardtop with the infamous "UPS kerbside door-delete option" (RPO 388.4):
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan For what it's worth, the above is only my opinion, and an opinion that wasn't explained as clearly as it could have been. There will be some people who will take issue with my opinion on 2-door coupe vs. 2-door sedan, especially since many manufacturers referred to their pillared coupe as a Sport Coupe, while Buick referred to its hardtops as a Sport Coupe.
This is where the can of worms comes into play. Sure, a business coupe is called such but it's still a 2-door sedan. And the Belvedere post above is a sedan and not a coupe, as it has a different rooflline to the hardtop.
99% percent of the time it is. Only exception I can think of is the Rover P5 Coupe. They lowered the roof by 2 inches, slimmed the B pillar to make it resemble a 4 door hardtop as much as possible. Still a 4 door pillared sedan though. View attachment 277822
Re: Hardtop vs coupe vs sadan Right side passengers have to be careful on lefthand turns. No factory seat belts in 1955 ---------- Post added at 09:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 PM ---------- Until the middle '50's , a coupe had a longer trunk, and a shorter cabin. Maybe two rows of seats. Often only 1 row of seating. maybe a jump seat or rumble seat (the trunk made with a seat, the riders in the open air).
Chris, wasn't that not just a name that Rover came up with? (at least they were available with a V8 engine from 1967 and on, designed by Buick) Just like Ford made a station wagon for many years (1952-1974) that they named the Country Sedan, with Sedan badges on it. Is this a sedan or a station wagon o No: ?
Yep, that's what I was told, a 2 door was a coupe, a 4 door was a sedan, a hardtop was pillarlesso No:
Either Rover or their British version of Don Draper ( Madman) came up with that one. Back in the late '50s/early '60s Holden wagons were "Station Sedans' here in Aus.
originally a coupe was a car with no back seat. sedan had pillars. hardtop had no pillar. but car mfgs mess it all up.
I had a Friend in high school that had a 64 GTO post convertible, he still has it actually and we graduated in 77. He made a big deal out of the post i guess it's rare, I know I never saw another one. It was just the post going up from the door jamb no frame, I thought it looked kind of dumb with the top down but he made a big deal of it and I got to admit it was and still is a 1 or high 2 car. What would this be considered to be?
