<VV> degrading terminology, was: FOR SALE

[Ron]

YUP, but still, I have a late hardtop sedan!

RonH

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <airvair at earthlink.net>
To: "Alan and Clare Wesson" <alan.wesson at atlas.co.uk>; "Ron" <ronh at owt.com>; 
<Sethracer at aol.com>; <bernielivengood2001 at yahoo.com>; 
<virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Cc: "Smitty Smith" <vairologist at verizon.net>
Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 11:32 AM
Subject: degrading terminology, was: <VV> FOR SALE


> And let us not forget that the Brits call a wagon a "shooting brake". My
> Gawd, where on earth did they get THAT term?
>
> So much for trying to compare British terms with US automobile industry
> standard terminology.
>
> For the record, American industry standard terminology dictates that a
> "sedan" is any car with a full-length, rocker to roof "B" pillar,
> regardless of the number of doors. A hardtop is a car that has a fixed
> steel roof, but the "B" pillar doesn't go higher than the beltline, and
> thus doesn't meet the roof. Today, virtually ALL new cars can be properly
> called sedans.
>
> Smitty, you can argue all you want, but it's YOU who's in error.
>
> This despite the fact that it's Chevrolet marketing (and I give them the
> responsibility for it) that screwed up the public's perception of what a
> "sedan" really is. Chevy marketing called the 4door hardtop a "sport
> sedan", despite that fact that wasn't really a sedan. It was simply a
> marketing ploy, just like the word "sport", even though the car wasn't a
> "sport" anything. It was simply that the hardtop was considered sportier
> than its sedan counterpart.
>
> So yes, I am correct in observing that there were NO late model Corvair
> sedans.
>
> Personally, I don't like having the "sedan" misused on the LM Corvairs,
> because, historically, the hardtop models were always the premium body
> style. Take for instance the '57 Chevy lineup. There were 150 and 210 
> model
> 4door and 2door sedans, along with Bel Air model 4door and 2door sedans 
> and
> 2door and 4door hardtops (along with the wagons and converts). The 
> hardtops
> were the premium body style. Even thru the '60's this was true. So to call
> a LM Corvair a "sedan" is to degrade its value. And haven't others 
> degraded
> Corvairs enough, without fellow Corvair enthusiasts degrading each others'
> cars?
>
> -Mark
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Kenneth E Pepke <kenpepke at juno.com>
>> Subject: Re: <VV> WAS FOR Sale
>>
>> PS. for Alan ...
>>
>> On your side of the pond I suppose the terms would be 'fixed
>> head'  and 'drop head'.  :-)
>> Ken P
>>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Alan and Clare Wesson <alan.wesson at atlas.co.uk>
>> Subject: Re: <VV> FOR SALE
>>
>> P.S. And Chevy called them Sport Sedans...
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Alan
>>
>> P.P.S. And in this ad:
>>
>> http://www.vintageadsandstuff.com/viewcorvair29.jpeg
>>
>> They refer to them as sedans!
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Alan and Clare Wesson" <alan.wesson at atlas.co.uk>
>> Subject: Re: <VV> FOR SALE
>>
>> > What constitutes a sedan is the number of *windows*, and in fact a 
>> > sedan
>> > should have 4 (a closed car with 4 is called a Berlina or a Sedan,
>> > depending
>> > whether you are an American or a continental European. In the UK we 
>> > call
>> > them saloons).
>> >
>> > This is because they were named after the original stage coaches from
>> > Paris
>> > to Berlin and Sedan. The Europeans went with the 'Berlina' 
>> > nomenclature,
>> > although some of them (principally the Italians and Germans) use
>> > 'Limousine'
>> > for as a synonym for 'Sedan'. The coaches from Paris to Berlin and
> Sedan
>> > had
>> > 4 windows, because both of those cities are quite far north (so they
>> > didn't
>> > need to let lots of sun in).
>> >
>> > In the UK we use 'Limousine' to mean a closed car with 6 windows. This
> is
>> > because the stage coach from Paris to Limoges (Limousine is the 
>> > feminine
>> > adjective from Limoges) had 6 windows (Limoges is south of Paris and so
>> > there is more sun).
>> >
>> > It's nothing to do with door pillars - these were unknown in the days 
>> > of
>> > stage coaches!
>> >
>> > Cheers
>> >
>> > Alan
>>
>
>