Shops, Barns, Varmints, and Trucks - Coupe or 2-door Hardtop ???

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Coupe or 2-door Hardtop ???

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Forum Name: Shops, Barns, Varmints, and Trucks
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=200574
Printed Date: 27 Apr 2025 at 3:17pm
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Topic: Coupe or 2-door Hardtop ???

Posted By: BuckSkin
Subject: Coupe or 2-door Hardtop ???
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 8:00pm

I deal with this confusion all the time when trying to properly identify various vehicles I have photographed.

I can easily determine a hardtop from a "post".

But then, there are same-model vehicles specified as either two-door hardtop or coupe; they look exactly alike in the photos and I can't for the life of me see what makes one a coupe and the other a two-door hardtop.

Take the http://https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_GTO" rel="nofollow - Pontiac GTO , available in two-door hardtop or two-door coupe; they sure all look the same to me, no matter which handle they put on them.

How do I tell ?

Replies:

Posted By: dp7000
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 8:17pm

I was taught hardtop had “no” post. And usually back window wrapped around on 50s era cars. Even a 4 door could be a hardtop( no post or Bpillar), a coupe was always a 2 door with a Bpillar. That’s what my dad taught me anyway.

Posted By: Dennis J OPKs
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 8:47pm

Hardtop-windows rolled down all the way either a 2dr. or a 4dr. No post. Coupe had a post. Not sure what year the hardtop thing started, I think it was very early 50's for GM. Some language-I think referred to hardtop coupe for 2 dr. and that term can cause confusion.

Posted By: desertjoe
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 9:21pm

Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 9:23pm

Hardtop has no FRAME around the window... Open the door with the window down and there is NOTHING above the main body.. a COUPE has a steel frame around the window.. the frame touches the roof and the frame seals against the roof.

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Like them all, but love the "B"s.

Posted By: desertjoe
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 9:23pm

I have two 1955 Chevy 2 door HDTP's and all 4 windows do roll all the way down. No post on these bad boys.

I believe the earliest GM HDTP was the 1950 Chevy Deluxe,, (I used to have one)

Posted By: BuckSkin
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 9:33pm

http://https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/1967_Pontiac_Catalina_two-door_sedan.jpg" rel="nofollow - HERE is a two-door sedan, so it must take more than just being two doors to be a coupe.

I read several places that, regardless of how many doors, a coupe has less than 33-cubic foot and a sedan has more; if that be the case, they haven't built a sedan in a long time.

Posted By: dp7000
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 9:40pm

I’ve got a 52 Belair 2 door hardtop. Also my grandfathers last car, a 57 4 door Belair hardtop. And yes windows roll all the way down with no frame in entire opening.
49-52 Chevys have several body styles you can look at. A coupe that the cabin is very short and makes trunk look long in my opinion. A 2 door sedan. And the 2 door hardtop Bel Air.
Maybe google and compare different ones. Dad always said 2 door hardtop was his favorite.

Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2024 at 11:47pm

An easier way to look at it... is when you include Convertible with Hardtop and Coupe.

If you lower or remove the top from a convertible, there will be no structure below the top edge of the windshield, right? Just the tops of the doors.

Put a hard top on it, and you have a 'hard top'.

A coupe, without the roof, would still have frames and posts.

Now SOME would say "Who in their right mind would make a COUPE with a retractible top?

Citroen. The 2CV...

lower the top, and there's frames all around.

Yeah, it kinda spoils the ambiance of a convertible, but once you've driven a French 2-cylinder 375cc air-cooled 9hp front-wheel-drive 4-speed car to it's 40mph max speed... what is 'ambiance'?

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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.

Posted By: DonBC
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2024 at 12:05pm

I grew up at that time and I am familiar with the terminology. There were 2-door and 4-door sedans. The door windows were completely framed. There were convertibles and no side windows were framed. I am not sure if there ever was a 4-door convertible. The hard top was essentially a convertible with a hard top, hence the name 'Hardtop'.

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Jack of all trades, master of none

Posted By: DonBC
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2024 at 12:11pm

I believe the 2 door cars were called a coupe and the 4-door models were called a sedan.

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Jack of all trades, master of none

Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2024 at 12:35pm

The Original Coupe’ was a Business model, not so designed as a Family car but as a Salesman’s transport from home to employer to clients. All cars prior to 1951 that were not Phaeton or Convertible were Posted Sedan, the vast majority family or Business cars square backed in either two or four door. Two being Coupe’ Four being Sedan.

With the advent of car design changes after WWII the more prevalent Phaeton disappeared for a Convertible, the Sedan Four door could be Hard Topped or Posted, similarly the Coupe’ Two door either as Hard Top or Posted.

The changes in how autos are identified by wording has mutated similarly.

Posted By: BuckSkin
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2024 at 12:45pm

I am going to pay closer attention to the non-hardtop models and see if their door-glasses are framed within the door like the doors on pickups, with door metal above the glass.

The newer deathtraps are so flimsy that I don't know of any that don't have the door glass framed by door metal, and all of them have that big hawk-bill hook to slash your head open when someone closes the door and you are standing anywhere close.

Posted By: DonBC
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2024 at 3:43pm

I think that you will find that the 2-door cars have a frame to the roof and that all windows are framed. The front seat backs were divided and would fold forward to give more room to 'crawl' into the back seat. Not bad for children but a 'PINTB' for adults. The hard tops had no post to the roof and no frame on the class. Again the front seats could be folded for better access to the rear.

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Jack of all trades, master of none

Posted By: iowallis
Date Posted: 29 Mar 2024 at 7:59am

Just remember when building your chicken coop it should have 2 doors, if you have 4 it is a chicken sedan.