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) 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