Phaeton body Volkswagen introduced a vehicle with the name Phaeton, which has a typical four-door sedan body style. Phaeton body A phaeton is a style of open automobile without any fixed weather protection, which was popular from the 1900s until the 1930s. It is an automotive equivalent of the horse-drawn fast, lightweight phaeton carriage. A popular style in the USA from the mid–1920s and continuing into the first half of the 1930s was the dual cowl phaeton, with a cowl separating the rear passengers from the driver and front passenger. Phaetons fell from favour when closed cars and convertible body styles became
HMS Phaeton (1782) "Charente" near the Cordouan lighthouse. "Phaeton" fired on "Charente", chasing her first into range of the guns of the 74-gun Third Rate , under the command of Captain Sir John Borlase Warren, with whom she exchanged broadsides. "Charente" grounded, but then so did "Canada". "Phaeton" and "Anson" had to abandon the chase to pull "Canada" free. In the meantime, "Charente" threw her guns overboard, floated free, and reached the river of Bordeaux, much the worse for wear. With "Anson", "Phaeton" took the 18-gun privateer "Mercure" on 31 August. "Mercure" was pierced for 20 guns and had a crew of 132