This 1933 Ford is a perfect example of a cabriolet from the pre-war era.

So far in our weekly series on body styles we have covered Barchettas, Berliners and Broughams, and Business Coupes (Yes, we are going in alphabetical order), with traditional definitions of each. This week’s topic is less defined as the others in this series, existing in a gray area encompassed by the umbrella of the term “convertible.” What exactly is a Cabriolet and where did the term come from?

The term “Cabriolet” originally identified a specific horse-drawn carriage. Illustration from wikipedia.org.

Originally the term cabriolet was used to describe a french designed light horse-drawn carriage with two-wheels and a single horse. The carriage was outfitted with a single seat meant for two occupants. These two occupants were protected from the weather by a folding hood that provided cover. These light carriages replaced heavier ones and were often used a vehicles for hire to transport a person around Paris or London. These became known as “hansome cabs,” as the term cabriolet was shortened to cab.

As the horse-drawn carriages went away and manufacturer’s began producing various different styles of automobiles, the styling terms used in carriages carried over to motorized vehicles. Cabriolets typically was used to describe four door cars with a folding top with roll down or folding windows. Over time the term convertible has largely taken over but cabriolet is still widely used with European carmakers.

More often that not, automakers use the terms cabriolet and convertible interchangeable in modern times. Most purists continue to describe a cabriolet as a two-door car with a folding top, yet settle on describing these as convertibles. Certain Euro Auto manufacturer’s (Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, etc.) have used the terms coupé cabriolet or coupé cabrio to identify convertibles with only two doors, which solidifies the description.

Mercedes-Benz still uses the term to describe their two-door convertible S-class models. Photo from www.mbusa.com.

Given the French origin of the term, and its use to describe a lightweight carriage, it would seem that the two-door car with a removable or folding top is the proper definition.