<VV> GM Terminology

[kaczmarek at charter.net]

As Rod Serling would say "Submitted for your Approval".

I like an argument as well as anyone, but unlike Mark, I won't argue with a dead man. 

When the "General" started fooling about with the "B" Pillar in the early 50's, they wanted to accent the pillarless models.  Chevrolet called their HT the BelAir. Pontiac called their hardtops "Catalina". Oldsmobile called theirs a "Holiday" in all series, Buick called theirs "Riviera", and Cadillac called theirs a DeVille.

  Remember now, that prior to 1955 the doors on 2dr HT's didn't have a true Roof Rail seal, just a "Flipper seal" over the front door.  The Back door on 2dr's had window run channel for the quarter window. 

True HT's began in 1955.  The Flipper seals disappeared and were replaced with a full Roof Rail Weatherstrip, going up the A Pillar, across the roofline and down on the C Pillar. 

In 1959, we get into the territory that Mark just can't leave alone.  Impala 2dr HT's were called "SPORT COUPES" and 4DR HT"s were called "SPORT SEDANS" ---So in Chevrolet-ese, SPORT denoted pillarless hardtop. 

Throughout the 60's, Chevy used the terms "Sport Coupe" and "Sport Sedan" to denote their pillarless HT models.

  Pontiac used "Sport Coupe" for 2 dr Models and "Vista" for their 4Dr Models.  

Olds continued to use "Holiday" for their series 88 and 98 models.  The A Body F-85/Cutlass line can trip you up.  There is a Cutlass "Sport Coupe" that is a 2dr post sedan, and a Cutlass "Holiday" 2dr HT.

Buick dispensed with the "Riviera" name for HT's in 1959, probably because the E body Rivera car was already on the boards for production.  

Cadillac threw in another curve.  During the 60's you could get a Series 62 2 and 4 door Hardtop, or a Series 62 Coupe DeVille or Sedan Deville, which were also hardtops.  Cadillac used the DeVille as a higher trim line, with more accessories, features and upholstery selections. 

So overall, there's many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip. These terminologies and catchy names didn't come from engineers, of course they came from the Marketing people, who have no knowledge of automotive engineering, and could frankly have cared less.  It was their job to jazz up the names of the cars to help sell them.

In my job, I have a daily battle with people who think "Hardtop" means the car has a steel roof, in other words, a non-convertible. Even after 5 years on the job, I am constantly amazed at the hundreds of customers I speak to every month who have no conception of the difference between a post car and a hardtop.  

      THEY BUY THESE CARS, and have done ZERO homework on what they are, and more importantly, the availability of parts for the car they bought.   Or worse yet, they tear all the rubber off the car and THROW IT AWAY before they find out if we have the replacement parts they need.  Newbie mistakes, but can be very costly for the owner. 

Hopefully this gives you some background information.  If you want to get all caught up in engineering semantics, I refer you to our own Mr. Corbin. 

Hank