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Coupe

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This article is about the car body style. For other uses, see Coupe (disambiguation).
Infiniti Q60 coupé
Look up coupe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A coupe or coupé (/kuːˈpeɪ/, also US: /kuːp/) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors.

The term coupé was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats.[1][2] It comes from the French past participle of couper, "cut".[1]

Some coupé cars only have two seats, while some also feature rear seats. However, these rear seats are usually lower quality and much smaller than those in the front. Furthermore, "A fixed-top two-door sports car would be best and most appropriately be termed a 'sports coupe' or 'sports coupé'".[3]

Etymology and pronunciation

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Coupé (French pronunciation: [kupe]) is based on the past participle of the French verb couper ("to cut") and thus indicates a car which has been "cut" or made shorter than standard.[1] It was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats.[2] These berlines coupées[4] or carrosses coupés ("clipped carriages") were eventually clipped to coupés.[5]

There are two common pronunciations in English:

Definition

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1955 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

A coupé is a fixed-roof car with a sloping rear roofline and one or two rows of seats. However, there is some debate surrounding whether a coupe must have two doors for passenger egress[9][10] or whether cars with four doors can also be considered coupés.[11] This debate has arisen since the early 2000s, when four-door cars such as the Mazda RX-8 and Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class have been marketed as "four-door coupés" or "quad coupés", although the Rover P5 was a much earlier example, with a variant introduced in 1962 having a lower, sleeker roofline marketed as the Rover P5 Coupé.

In the 1940s and 1950s, coupés were distinguished from sedans by their shorter roof area and sportier profile.[12] Similarly, in more recent times, when a model is sold in both coupé and sedan body styles, generally the coupe is sportier and more compact.[2][13][14] There have been a number of two-door sedans built as well, a bodystyle the French call a coach.

The 1977 version of International Standard ISO 3833—Road vehicles - Types - Terms and definitions—defines a coupe as having two doors (along with a fixed roof, usually with limited rear volume, at least two seats in at least one row and at least two side windows).[15] On the other hand, the United States Society of Automotive Engineers publication J1100[16][when?] does not specify the number of doors, instead defining a coupé as having a rear interior volume of less than 33 cu ft (934 L).[2][13]

The definition of coupé started to blur when manufacturers began to produce cars with a 2+2 body style (which have a sleek, sloping roofline, two doors, and two functional seats up front, plus two small seats in the back).[17][18]

Some manufacturers also blur the definition of a coupé by applying this description to models featuring a hatchback or a rear cargo area access door that opens upwards.[19][20] Most often also featuring a fold-down back seat, the hatchback or liftback layout of these cars improves their practicality and cargo room.[21]

Horse-drawn carriages

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Example of a coupe carriage

The coupe carriage body style originated from the berline horse-drawn carriage. The coupe version of the berline was introduced in the 18th century as a shortened ("cut") version with no rear-facing seat.[4][22][23][24] Normally, a coupé had a fixed glass window in the front of the passenger compartment.[25] The coupé was considered an ideal vehicle for women to use to go shopping or to make social visits.[26]

History

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The early coupé automobile's passenger compartment followed in general conception the design of horse-drawn coupés,[27] with the driver in the open at the front and an enclosure behind him for two passengers on one bench seat.[28][29] The French variant for this word thus denoted a car with a small passenger compartment.[27]

By the 1910s, the term had evolved to denote a two-door car with the driver and up to two passengers in an enclosure with a single bench seat.[30][31] The coupé de ville, or coupé chauffeur, was an exception, retaining the open driver's section at front.[32]

In 1916, the Society of Automobile Engineers suggested nomenclature for car bodies that included the following:[31][33]

Coupe: An enclosed car operated from the inside with seats for two or three and sometimes a backward-facing fourth seat.

Coupelet: A small car seating two or three with a folding top and full height doors with fully retractable windows.

Convertible coupe: A roadster with a removable coupe roof.

During the 20th century, the term coupé was applied to various close-coupled cars (where the rear seat is located further forward than usual and the front seat further back than usual).[34][35]

Since the 1960s the term coupé has generally referred to a two-door car with a fixed roof.[36]

Since 2005, several models with four doors have been marketed as "four-door coupés", however, reactions are mixed about whether these models are actually sedans instead of coupés.[37][38][39] According to Edmunds, an American automotive guide, "the four-door coupe category doesn't really exist."[40]

Variations

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Berlinetta

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Main article: Berlinetta

A berlinetta is a lightweight sporty two-door car, typically with two seats but also including 2+2 cars.[41]

Club coupe

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A club coupe is a two-door car with a larger rear-seat passenger area,[2] compared with the smaller rear-seat area in a 2+2 body style. Thus, club coupes resemble coupes as both have two doors, but feature a full-width rear seat that is accessible by tilting forward the backs of the front seats.[42]

Hardtop coupé

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A hardtop coupe is a two-door car that lacks a structural pillar ("B" pillar) between the front and rear side windows. When these windows are lowered, the effect is like that of a convertible coupé with the windows down.[43] The hardtop body style was popular in the United States from the early 1950s until the 2000s. It was also available in European and Japanese markets.[44][45] Safety regulations for roof structures to protect passengers in a rollover were proposed, limiting the development of new models.[46] The hardtop body style went out of style with consumers while the automakers focused on cost reduction and increasing efficiencies.[43]

Combi coupé

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Main article: Combi coupé

Saab used the term "combi coupé" for a car body similar to the liftback.[47]

A 1936 Packard One-Twenty business coupe

Business coupe

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A two-door car with no rear seat or with a removable rear seat intended for traveling salespeople and other vendors carrying their wares with them. American manufacturers developed this style of coupe in the late 1930s.[48]

Four-door coupe / quad coupe

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1921 LaFayette Four-Door Coupe

The 1921 and 1922 LaFayette models were available in a variety of open and closed body styles that included a close-coupled version featuring two center-opening doors on each side that was marketed as a Four-Door Coupe.[49] The 1927 Nash Advanced Six was available in four-door coupe body style.[50]

More recently, the description has been applied by marketers to describe four-door cars with a coupe-like roofline at the rear. The low-roof design reduces back-seat passenger access and headroom.[51] The designation was used for the low-roof model of the 1962–1973 Rover P5,[52] followed by the 1992–1996 Nissan Leopard / Infiniti J30.[53] Recent examples include the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS, 2010 Audi A7, Volkswagen CC, Volkswagen Arteon, and 2012 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe.[54][55][56]

Similarly, several cars with one or two small rear doors for rear seat passenger egress and no B-pillar have been marketed as "quad coupes". For example, the 2003 Saturn Ion, the 2003 Mazda RX-8, and the 2011-2022 Hyundai Veloster.

1976 Volkswagen Scirocco, a 3-door hatchback with coupe-inspired styling

Three-door coupe

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Particularly popular in Europe, many cars are designed with coupe styling, but a three-door hatchback/liftback layout to improve practicality, including cars such as the Jaguar E-Type, Mitsubishi 3000GT, Datsun 240Z, Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Alfa Romeo Brera,[57] Ford/Mercury Cougar[58] and Volkswagen Scirocco.[59]

Opera coupe

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A two-door car designed for driving to the opera with easy access to the rear seats. Features sometimes included a folding front seat next to the driver[60][61] or a compartment to store top hats.[62]

Often they would have solid rear-quarter panels, with small, circular windows, to enable the occupants to see out without being seen. These opera windows were revived on many U.S. automobiles during the 1970s and early 1980s.[63][need quotation to verify]

Three-window coupe

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The three-window coupe (commonly just "three-window") is a style of automobile characterized by two side windows and a backlight (rear window).[64] The front windscreens are not counted. The three-window coupe has a distinct difference from the five-window coupe, which has an additional window on each side behind the front doors.[65] These two-door cars typically have small-sized bodies with only a front seat and an occasional small rear seat.[66]

The style was popular from the 1920s until the beginning of World War II. While many manufacturers produced three-window coupes, the 1932 Ford coupe is often considered the classic hot rod.[67][68][69]

Coupe SUV

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Main article: Coupe SUV

Some SUVs or crossovers with sloping rear rooflines are marketed as "coupe crossover SUVs" or "coupe SUVs", even though they have four side doors for passenger egress to the seats and rear hatches for cargo area access however only a car with 2 doors and no B style are considered a true coupe.

Positioning in model range

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1974–1978 AMC Matador coupe

In the United States, some coupes are "simply line-extenders two-door variants of family sedans", while others have significant differences from their four-door counterparts.[70]

The AMC Matador coupe (1974–1978) has a shorter wheelbase with a distinct aerodynamic design and fastback styling, sharing almost nothing with the conventional three-box design and more "conservative" four-door versions.[71][72][73]

Similarly, the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus coupes and sedans (late-1990 through 2000s), have little in common except their names.[74] The coupes were engineered by Mitsubishi and built in Illinois, while the sedans were developed by Chrysler and built in Michigan.[75] Some coupes may share platforms with contemporary sedans.

Coupes may also exist as model lines in their own right, either closely related to other models, but named differently – such as the Alfa Romeo GT or Infiniti Q60 – or have little engineering in common with other vehicles from the manufacturer – such as the Toyota GT86.

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See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coupes.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Coach Building Terminology". coachbuilt.com. 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Adolphus, David Traver (March 2007). "Club Coupes - If you think you know what a Club Coupe is, think again". Hemmings Classic Car. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  3. ^ Haajanen, Lennart W. (2017). Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles (Second ed.). McFarland. p. 144. ISBN 9780786499182. Retrieved 17 September 2024 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Haajanen, Lennart W. (2003). Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles. Illustrations by Bertil Nydén. McFarland. pp. 16, 18, 20, 50. ISBN 0-7864-1276-3. LCCN 2002014546.
  5. ^ a b "coupé, n.3", Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1893.
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  58. ^ Enright, Andy (8 April 2009). "Ford Cougar (1998 - 2002) used car review". rac.co.uk.
  59. ^ "The Top Gear car review: Volkswagen Scirocco". topgear.com. 13 January 2015.
  60. ^ "Dictionary of Historic Automotive Terms". Chalk Hill Educational Media. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  61. ^ Burness, Tad (2005). American Car Spotter's Bible 1940–1980. Krause Publications. p. 736. ISBN 9780896891791.
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  63. ^ Frazee, Irving Augustus (1949). Automotive Fundamentals. American Technical Society. p. 81.
  64. ^ Schueter, Roger (17 December 2017). "What's the difference between an old three-window coupe and a five-window model?". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  65. ^ Wagner, Rob. "What Is the Difference Between a 1934 Ford 3-Window & 5-Window Coupe?". It Still Runs. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  66. ^ Kilchermann, Lori (21 November 2020). "What is a Three Window Coupe?". WiseGeek. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  67. ^ Bernsau, Tim (6 October 2020). "Hot Rod 3-Pack: 1932 Ford Three-Window Coupes". Hot Rod (Motor Trend). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  68. ^ Thacker, Tony (2007). '32 Ford Deuce: the official 75th anniversary edition. Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760317419.
  69. ^ Taylor, Thom (15 March 2018). "How the 1932 Ford Deuce became the quintessential hot rod". Hagerty. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  70. ^ Loh, Edward (11 February 2008). "Comparison: 2008 Honda Accord Coupe vs 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse vs 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe (Front-wheel-drive coupe comparison)". Motor Trend. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  71. ^ Severson, Aaron (25 December 2009). "What's a Matador? The AMC Matador, Rebel, and Classic". ateupwithmotor.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  72. ^ McGuire, Bill (6 May 2018). "Fish Out of Water: AMC's 1974-78 Matador Coupe". macsmotorcitygarage.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  73. ^ Dunton, Pete (15 December 2008). "1974 AMC Matador Coupe – the Forgotten Coupe". oldcarmemories.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  74. ^ Markus, Frank (1 September 2009). "Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring". Car and Driver. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  75. ^ Krebs, Michelle (18 February 2001). "Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring; When Lightning Doesn't Strike Twice". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
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