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1935 Chrysler Airstream business coupe. Photo from www.barrett-jackson.com.
Modern body styles have been distilled down to a handful of generic catagories like SUV, convertible, hatchback, and even hybrid/electric. Decades ago, when car manufacturing was in its infancy, body styles were much more descriptive and plentiful. It began with the basic two-door or four door style but quickly branched off into coupe and roadster, then touring model.
1941 Chrysler business coupe. Photos from www.autogeekonline.net.
While the types and styles of cars grew, there were style categories that spelled out differences in the body types. For instance, roadsters were always the cheapest version of any car model and were bought by people that primarily used their car for business. When weather was an issue, these businessmen opted for the coupe version. Young single men often bought these models because they usually needed to spend as little as possible on the vehicle’s purchase.
These two-door coupes started to evolve into what became known as the “business coupe” in manufacturer’s terms. Generally speaking, a business coupe was a “no-frills” basic two-door car with no backseat or a removable backseat. The car manufacturers designed these models for traveling salesmen that carried wares or samples and not passengers.
1947 Dodge business coupe. Photo from www.oldcarsweekly.com
When the wheelbase of cars started getting longer – about the 1930s – coupes, including some business coupes, offered rumble seats that opened out of the trucks. Business coupes tended to have larger trunks, which is what made them popular with the traveling salesmen.
A Plymouth business coupe was even used as one of the most famous factory altered-wheelbase racecars of all time, the Ramcharger's High and Mighty. Photo from www.rodauthority.com.
Cars continued to get longer through the 1940s, and the business coupe versions followed suit. Some of the most popular business coupes of this time are the most sought after by collectors and enthusiasts. The 1940s Chryslers and Dodge business coupes are especially favored for their styling. Sadly, when traveling salesmen began to disappear in the early 1950s, so did the business coupe.
Join us next week as we cover another branch-off of the coupe model.
