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) in the Far East. Later in 1804 she and chased the French privateer "Henriette" back to Port Louis. Also, "Phaeton" recaptured the "Mornington", which the French privateer Nicholas Surcouf in "Caroline" had captured on 14 August 1804; Captain Fallonard of the brig "Île de France" recaptured "Mornington". The British recaptured "Mornington" again as she continued to sail under the British Ensign until she was burnt in the Bay of Bengal in 1816. On 2 August 1805, under Captain John Wood, "Phaeton" fought the 40-gun "Sémillante", Captain Léonard-Bernard Motard, in the San Bernardino Strait off San Jacinto, Philippines, together with the