Article and photos by Tim Miller, Moto|ology Contributor
At the dawn of the automotive age, cars were basically buggies made of wood with a one or two-cylinder engine installed under the seats.
During the first decade of the 20th century, these vehicles changed drastically. Automobiles began to be accepted as a viable alternative mode of travel other than trains and horse-drawn vehicles. Roads were built and existing mud paths were improved. Rubber tires, radiators, and steering wheels made their appearance, and by 1910 cars not only showed the way in future design, they spawned an enormous industry and social awareness that continues to this day.
Taking a lesson from the existing carriages and other horse-drawn vehicles of the day, the early cars featured rudimentary bodywork very similar to the vehicles they were replacing. While closed cars such as coupes and sedans started to appear at this time, the open cars were still prominent with roadsters offering transport for two people and touring cars providing seating for up to seven. The windshields of these cars were rectangular pieces of flat glass, the roofs provided minimal comfort from the elements, and there was no luggage capacity. Side curtains attached to the roof and snapped into place on the car body when needed for inclement weather. During the 1920s and early 1930s open cars became more comfortable, and it was still possible to purchase a basic open car in the mid-1930s.
Also, by 1930 the touring car had been replaced with the Phaeton body style as a four-door open car, so-named after a type of sporty horse-drawn carriage. At this time, a roadster-based body with windows in the doors was developed, known as a cabriolet and a style which morphed into today’s convertible. The four-door phaeton body was also developed with door windows and was known as a convertible sedan. These large open cars were popular in the 1930s, and the Cadillacs, Packards, and Lincolns built with these bodies were a mainstay of parades and pageants.
The convertible sedan fell out of favour by World War II, and when the conflict ended, almost none were shown on the manufacturers’ lineup. It was still possible to have one of these cars custom built, and they were used primarily in motorcades when visiting celebrities, royalty or presidents rode through the streets acknowledging the crowds.
One anomaly here. Lincoln returned to a four-door convertible in 1961 with its slab-sided Continental, produced from 1961 to 1969. The car was available in convertible or hardtop form. All featured the return of rear-opening “suicide doors,” doors that were popular in previous decades.
Another oddity was the 1949-1952 Dodge Wayfair. Produced in coupe and open-top versions, the open car was a true roadster with removeable plastic door windows. They were built with no rear-seat windows behind the front doors. The rear side windows were eliminated with the use of a short soft top. Eventually the car acquired rollup door windows, ending this chapter of the production of a true roadster by the Big Three US auto makers.
Please watch for the next installment of Tim Miller’s history of automobile bodies in the upcoming issue of Moto/ology!