Phaeton (carriage) Phaeton (carriage) A phaeton (also phaéton) was a form of sporty open carriage popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Drawn by one or two horses, a phaeton typically featured a minimal very lightly sprung body atop four extravagantly large wheels. With open seating, it was both fast and dangerous, giving rise to its name, drawn from the mythical Phaëton, son of Helios, who nearly set the earth on fire while attempting to drive the chariot of the sun. With the advent of the automobile, the term was adapted to open touring cars, also known as phaetons. The
Barouche distinguished from a barouche by having fold-down occasional seating for the rear-facing passengers, instead of permanent front seats. In Quebec, Canada, "calèche" refers to a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle with or without a folding top and with a driver's seat on the splashboard. In the Philippines, the "kalesa" is a one-horse descendant of Spanish Colonial calashes, and is a common sight in older cities such as Manila and Vigan. A barouche was an expensive four-wheeled, shallow vehicle used in the 19th century with two double seats inside, arranged "vis-à-vis", so that the sitters on the front seat face those on the