<VV> Re: Hardtops vs. sedan, was: Origin of Corvair name

[Dennis Nichols]

I think we can all agree that all closed earlies were not hardtops, and all closed lates were nothing but! :) (Corvair content)
 
I'd call a second gen F-body, a coupe, A blind rear quarter coupe, a 3-window coupe, or even berlinetta applies. There is of course the famous (or infamous) GM "Colonnade Hardtop" in 2 and 4-door (nad maybe wagon?) styles.
 
So, not all hardtops are coupes, and not all coupes are hardtops, since coupes can have B pillars, or no "B" pillar- and for a new can of worms, the coupe is not the same as a two door sedan. The 2-door sedan has the same roof  "volume" and size as a 4-door would, while the coupe has an abbreviated roofline.
 
So, all pillared earlies are coupes! ( more Corvair content...)
 

airvair <airvair@richnet.net> wrote:
To put things in perspective, the ORIGINAL Nomad was the Corvette-based 
'53 show car. This led to the '55-7 Nomad wagons based off the full-size 
Chevy. Then in '58 the special bodywork required for it was dropped and 
the NAME only was attached to a conventional 4door sedan-type wagon. So 
are you taking the Lakewood/Nomad-name thought off the conventional 
4door wagon? Certainly the Corvair Lakewood ISN'T a 2door vehicle.

Of course, what do you call a car with only 2 doors and no door header? 
Think '70-up Camaro, (original production) Nomad, Fiero, etc. Are they 
true hardtops, sedans, or something else? For that matter, 4door wagons 
have "A," "B," "C," and "D" pillars, so since the Nomad only has three 
sets of pillars, how do you classify that? Seems to me that the 
terminology requires some liberal thinking.

I've always thought that having a door header was a stupid idea. If the 
roof ever becomes deformed (as in a roll-over) there is a chance that 
the roof could pin the door shut via the header. And if you really 
wanted the "B" pillar strength on a 4door, you could still have the 
hardtop (headerless) doors. GM did this starting in the mid '60's, but 
eventually reverted to a full-header door design. But Subaru and a 
number of other imports still have this design (what I call a hardtop 
sedan), so what's wrong with Detroit?

-Mark

>Of course such logic could lead to the conclusion that the Lakewood should really be a Nomad! :)
>




"Every time a man gets in his car it should be a vacation"- Harley Earl

Dennis Nichols    CORSA, CKC

1961 Lakewood 700 98/3 

Interested in wagons? lakewood700@yahoo.com

 





		
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