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
HMS Phaeton (1782) men. She was one day out of Bordeaux and had captured nothing. A week later, "Anson" and "Phaeton" captured the 32-gun privateer "Flore" after a 24-hour-long chase. Stopford, in his letter, described "Flore" as a frigate of 36 guns and 255 men. She was eight days out of Boulogne on a cruise. "Flore" had also served the Royal Navy in the American Revolutionary War. Then on 8 October "Phaeton" took the 16-gun privateer "Lévrier". Together with "Ambuscade" and "Stag", on 20 November she took the "Hirondelle". On 24 November 1798, "Phaeton" captured the French privateer brig "Resolue" (or "Resolu"). "Resolue"