Phaeton body almost any vehicle with two axles and a row or rows of seats across the body could be called a phaeton. Convertibles and pillarless hardtops were marketed as "phaetons" after actual phaetons were phased out. The term "phaeton" had historically described a light, open four-wheeled carriage. When automobiles arrived it was applied to a light two-seater with minimal coachwork. The term was interchangeable with "spyder", derived from a light form of phaeton carriage known as a "spider". Originally meant to denote a faster and lighter vehicle than a touring car, the two terms eventually became interchangeable. A detachable folding or
HMS Phaeton (1782) offer. "Phaeton" went on to the East Indies. In October 1819 she was paid off and then recommissioned within the month under Captain William Augustus Montagu, for Halifax. She was paid off in September 1822. She was immediately recommissioned under Captain Henry Evelyn Pitfield Sturt. She sailed for Gibraltar and Algeciras and was paid off some three years later. "Phaeton" was sold on 11 July 1827 to a Mr. Freake for ₤3,430, but the Navy Office cancelled the sale, "Mr. Freake having been declared insane." She was finally sold on 26 March 1828 for ₤2,500 to Joshua Cristall for breaking