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{{Short description|Car body style}}
{{About|the car body style}}
[[File:2018 Infiniti Q60 Leonberg IMG 0156.jpg|thumb|[[Infiniti Q60]]
{{wiktionary}}{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
A '''coupe''' or '''coupé''' ({{IPAc-en|k|uː|ˈ|p|eɪ}}, {{IPAc-en|alsous|k|uː|p}}) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brandt |first1=Eric |title=For the Last Time, a Coupe Is a Car With Two Doors |url= https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/last-time-coupe-car-two-doors-271257 |publisher=Autotrader |date=28 November 2017 |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lindland |first1=Rebecca |title=What Is a Coupe Car? |url= https://www.jdpower.com/Cars/Shopping-Guides/what-is-a-coupe-car |publisher=J.D. Power |access-date=24 February 2021 |date=23 March 2020}}</ref>
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats.<ref name="Coachbuilt">{{cite web |url= http://www.coachbuilt.com/ter/terminology.htm |title=Coach Building Terminology |year=2004 |website=
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[[File:1955 Cadillac Coupe Deville.jpg|thumb|right|1955 [[Cadillac de Ville series|Cadillac Coupe de Ville]] ]]
A coupe is a fixed-roof car with a sloping rear roofline and one or two rows of seats. However, there is some debate surrounding whether a coupe must have two doors for passenger egress<ref>{{cite web|title=For the Last Time, a Coupe Is a Car With Two Doors|url= https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/for-the-last-time-a-coupe-is-a-car-with-two-doors-271257 |website=autotrader.com |access-date=16 April 2018
In the 1940s and 1950s, coupes were distinguished from [[Sedan (automobile)|sedans]] by their shorter roof area and sportier profile.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=OtKWmLLiuTgC&q=%22perceived+as+the+more-stremlined%2C+sportier+models%22&pg=PA55 |page=55 |title=The ultimate hot rod dictionary
The 1977 version of [[International Organization for Standardization|International Standard]] ISO{{spaces}}3833—''Road vehicles - Types - Terms and definitions''—defines a coupe as having two doors (along with a fixed roof, usually with limited rear volume, at least two seats in at least one row and at least two side windows).<ref>{{Citation| author=((Technical Committee ISO/TC22, Road vehicles))| publication-date =1977-12-01| title=ISO 3833-1977: Road vehicles – Types – Terms and definitions |type=ISO International Standard |edition=Second |publisher=International Organization for Standardization| place=Geneva, Switzerland | at =Clause 3.1.1.5 |url= https://www.iso.org/standard/9389.html}}</ref> On the other hand, the United States [[Society of Automotive Engineers]] publication J1100<ref>{{cite web |title=J1100: Motor Vehicle Dimensions - SAE International |url= https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j1100_197309/ |website=sae.org |access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref>{{when|date=April 2019|reason= Which version is this stated in? It doesn't appear in the 1984 or 2001 version.}} does not specify the number of doors, instead defining a coupe as having a rear interior volume of less than {{convert|33|cuft|L|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Adolphus">{{cite journal|first=David Traver |last=Adolphus |title=Club Coupes - If you think you know what a Club Coupe is, think again |url= https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2007/03/Club-Coupes/1423429.html |date=March 2007 |journal=Hemmings Classic Car |access-date=14 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="Autotropolis">{{cite web |title=Coupe – Coupe Body Style – Two Door Coupe |website=autobytel.com |url= http://www.autobytel.com/coupes/car-buying-guides/coupe-coupe-body-style-two-door-coupe-104289/ |access-date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
The definition of coupe started to blur when manufacturers began to produce cars with a [[2+2 (car body style)|2+2 body style]] (which have a sleek, sloping roofline, two doors, and two functional seats up front, plus two small seats in the back).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jack |date=2022-12-28 |title=What is a Coupe Car |url=https://usacoupe.com/what-is-a-coupe-car/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=USACoupe |language=en-US |archive-date=29 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229173125/https://usacoupe.com/what-is-a-coupe-car/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Weber |first=Bob |title=What is the difference between coupe and sedan? |url=
Some manufacturers also blur the definition of a coupe by applying this description to models featuring a [[hatchback]] or a rear cargo area access door that opens upwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=
== Horse-drawn carriages ==
[[File:Opočno castle in 2009 55.JPG|thumb|Example of a [[Coupé (carriage)|coupe carriage]] ]]
The [[Coupé (carriage)|coupe carriage]] body style originated from the [[Berlin (carriage)|berline horse-drawn carriage]]. The coupe version of the berline was introduced in the 18th century as a shortened ("cut") version with no rear-facing seat.<ref name="HaajCoupe"/><ref>{{cite journal|first=David Traver |last=Adolphus |title=Club Coupes - If you think you know what a Club Coupe is, think again |date= March 2007 |journal=Hemmings Classic Car |url= https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2007/03/Club-Coupes/1423429.html |access-date=30 March 2020 |quote=Coupé (some designers still insist on the 'koo-pay' pronunciation) is the French verb meaning 'to cut,' and it was first applied to 19th Century carriages, where the rear-facing seats had been eliminated, or cut out.}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Haajanen|2017|p=52}}. "When the Berline body was shortened the Berline Coupe, or just Coupe, resulted."</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Royal carriages|url= https://www.kreml.ru/?cmd=00200600000000000110000000000000000&cmdex=4090006C7309900000000 |website=[[Moscow Kremlin Museums]] |access-date= 14 April 2018}}</ref> Normally, a coupe had a fixed glass window in the front of the passenger compartment.{{sfn|Haajanen|2003|p=50}} The coupe was considered an ideal vehicle for women to use to go shopping or to make social visits.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/worldonwheels00stra |access-date=2014-09-04 |first=Ezra |last=Stratton |publisher=Ezra Stratton |title=World on Wheels |location=New York |year=1878 |isbn=0-405-09006-4 |chapter=Chapter VIII. French carriages, including historical associations |page= [https://archive.org/details/worldonwheels00stra/page/242 242] |quote=For the use of ladies making calls or engaged in shopping, no better carriage has yet been invented. |ol=7004294M}}</ref>
== History ==
The early coupe automobile's passenger compartment followed in general conception the design of horse-drawn coupes,<ref name="Haajanen">{{cite book |last=Haajanen |first=Lennart W. |title=Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles |edition=Second |year=2017 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9918-2 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gFwnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 52–53, 57]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFwnDwAAQBAJ |access-date=14 July 2018}}</ref> with the driver in the open at the front and an enclosure behind him for two passengers on one [[bench seat]].{{Sfn|Haajanen|2003|p=51}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Clough |first=Albert L. |title=A dictionary of automobile terms |year=1913 |publisher=The Horseless Age
By the 1910s, the term had evolved to denote a two-door car with the driver and up to two passengers in an enclosure with a single bench seat.{{Sfn|Clough|1913|p=89}}<ref name="NYT1916_08SAEbodies" /> The [[coupé de ville]], or coupe chauffeur, was an exception, retaining the open driver's section at front.{{Sfn|Haajanen|2003|pp=51, 55-56}}
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Since the 1960s the term ''coupe'' has generally referred to a two-door car with a fixed roof.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sedan vs. Coupe: What's the Difference? |url= https://www.carmax.com/articles/sedan-vs-coupe |website=carmax.com |access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>
Since 2005, several models with four doors have been marketed as "four-door coupes", however, reactions are mixed about whether these models are actually sedans instead of coupes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Car Review: 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS 500|url=
== Variations ==
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===Club coupe===
A club coupe is a two-door car with a larger rear-seat passenger area,<ref name="Adolphus" /> compared with the smaller rear-seat area in a 2+2 body style. Thus, club coupes resemble coupes as both have two doors, but feature a full-width rear seat that is accessible by tilting forward the backs of the front seats.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/club%20coupe |title=Club coupe |website=merriam-webster.com |access-date=19 April 2024}}</ref>
===Hardtop coupe===
A [[hardtop]] coupe is a two-door car that lacks a structural pillar ("B" pillar) between the front and rear side windows. When these windows are lowered, the effect is like that of a convertible coupe with the windows down.<ref name="HistoryHardtops"/> The hardtop body style was popular in the United States from the early 1950s until the 2000s. It was also available in European and Japanese markets.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Niedermeyer |first1=Paul |title=Curbside Classic: 1984 Subaru GL Hardtop Coupe – A Requiem For The Affordable Hardtop |url= https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-1984-subaru-gl-hardtop-coupe-a-requiem-for-the-affordable-hardtop/ |
===''Combi'' coupé===
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===Four-door coupe / quad coupe ===
[[File:LaFayette Four Door Coupe 1921.jpg|thumb|1921 LaFayette Four-Door Coupe]]
A four-door [[fastback]] car with a coupe-like roofline at the rear. The low-roof design reduces back-seat passenger access and headroom.<ref>{{cite web |last=Powell |first= Philip |title= The Fastback is Back Thanks to Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Volkswagen |publisher= Classical Drives |date= 8 January 2008 |url= http://www.classicaldrives.com/50226711/the_fastback_is_back_thanks_to_mercedes_audi_bmw_volkswagen.php |archive-date= 1 August 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130801122953/http://www.classicaldrives.com/50226711/the_fastback_is_back_thanks_to_mercedes_audi_bmw_volkswagen.php |access-date= 22 April 2015}}</ref> The designation was first used for the low-roof model of the 1962–1973 [[Rover P5]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Langworth |first=Richard M. |title= Complete book of collectible cars, 1930–1980 |year= 1986 |publisher=Random House Value Publishing |page= [https://archive.org/details/completebookofco00lang/page/389 389] |isbn= 978-0-517-47934-6 |url= https://archive.org/details/completebookofco00lang/page/389 }}</ref> followed by the 1992–1996 [[Nissan Leopard|Nissan Leopard / Infiniti J30]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Infiniti J30 Was A Four-Door Coupe Before It Was Fashionable |url=https://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-infiniti-j30-was-a-four-door-sedan-before-it-was-fa-1679477558 |website=kinja.com |access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref> Recent examples include the 2005 [[Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (W219)|Mercedes-Benz CLS]], 2010 [[Audi A7]], [[Volkswagen Arteon]], and 2012 [[BMW 6 Series (F06/F12/F13)|BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe]].<ref>{{Citation |title= Mercedes CLS-Klasse |publisher=Auto, Motor und Sport | url= http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/mercedes-cls-9416.html |access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Neuer Audi A7 Sportback: Erste Bilder, Details und Preise |date=27 July 2010 |trans-title=New Audi A7 sportback: First pictures, details and pricing |url= http://www.heise.de/autos/artikel/Neuer-Audi-A7-Sportback-Erste-Bilder-Details-und-Preise-1045664.html |language=de |publisher=Heise |access-date= 22 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |language=de |title= Audi A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic (DPF) |url= http://www.adac.de/_ext/itr/tests/Autotest/AT4513_Audi_A7_Sportback_3_0_TDI_quattro_S_tronic_DPF/Audi_A7_Sportback_3_0_TDI_quattro_S_tronic_DPF.pdf |publisher=ADAC |date=January 2011|first=Stefan |last=Giuliani |access-date= 22 April 2015}}</ref>▼
The 1921 and 1922 [[LaFayette Motors|LaFayette]] models were available in a variety of open and closed body styles that included a close-coupled version featuring two center-opening doors on each side that was marketed as a Four-Door Coupe.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://americancarhistorian.com/lafayette/ |title=LaFayette |date=19 May 2020 |first=Deb |last=Tracy |website=americancarhistorian.com |access-date=16 July 2024}}</ref> The 1927 [[Nash Motors|Nash]] Advanced Six was available in four-door coupe body style.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://xr793.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1927-Nash.pdf |title=The Nash Advanced Six, Seven Passenger Sedan, Four Door Coupé, Victoria (brochure) |website=xr793.com |access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref>
▲
Similarly, several cars with one or two small rear doors for rear seat passenger egress and no B-pillar have been marketed as "[[quad coupe]]s". For example, the 2003 [[Saturn Ion]] and 2003 [[Mazda RX-8]].▼
▲Similarly, several cars with one or two small rear doors for rear seat passenger egress and no B-pillar have been marketed as "[[quad coupe]]s". For example, the 2003 [[Saturn Ion]],
[[File:VW Scirocco I orange hr TCE.jpg|thumb|1976 [[Volkswagen Scirocco]], a 3-door hatchback with coupe-inspired styling]]
===Three-door coupe===
Particularly popular in Europe, many cars are designed with coupe styling, but a three-door hatchback/liftback layout to improve practicality, including cars such as the [[Jaguar E-Type]], [[Mitsubishi 3000GT]], [[Nissan S30|Datsun 240Z]], [[Toyota Supra]], [[Mazda RX-7]], [[Alfa Romeo Brera]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Alfa Romeo Brera {{!}} Used Car Buying Guide |date=10 January 2017 |website=Autocar |url= https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/used-car-buying-guides/alfa-romeo-brera}}</ref> [[Ford Cougar|Ford/Mercury Cougar]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Ford Cougar (1998 - 2002) used car review |
===Opera coupe===
A two-door car designed for driving to the opera with easy access to the rear seats. Features sometimes included a folding front seat next to the driver<ref>{{cite web |title= Dictionary of Historic Automotive Terms |publisher=
Often they would have solid rear-quarter panels, with small, circular windows, to enable the occupants to see out without being seen. These [[opera window]]s were revived on many U.S. automobiles during the 1970s and early 1980s.<ref>{{cite book | last= Frazee |first= Irving Augustus | title= Automotive Fundamentals |publisher=American Technical Society |year=1949 |page= 81 }}</ref>{{request quotation|date=October 2018}}
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The three-window coupe (commonly just "three-window") is a style of automobile characterized by two side windows and a backlight (rear window).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schueter |first1=Roger |title=What's the difference between an old three-window coupe and a five-window model? |url= https://www.bnd.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/answer-man/article190249139.html |publisher=Belleville News-Democrat |date=17 December 2017 |access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> The front windscreens are not counted. The three-window coupe has a distinct difference from the five-window coupe, which has an additional window on each side behind the front doors.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wagner |first1=Rob |title=What Is the Difference Between a 1934 Ford 3-Window & 5-Window Coupe? |url= https://itstillruns.com/difference-ford-3window-5window-coupe-8527960.html |publisher=It Still Runs |access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref> These two-door cars typically have small-sized bodies with only a front seat and an occasional small rear seat.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kilchermann |first1=Lori |title=What is a Three Window Coupe? |url= https://www.wise-geek.com/what-is-a-three-window-coupe.htm |publisher=WiseGeek |date=21 November 2020 |access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref>
The style was popular from the 1920s until the beginning of [[World War II]]. While many manufacturers produced three-window coupes, the 1932 Ford coupe is often considered the classic hot rod.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bernsau |first1=Tim |title=Hot Rod 3-Pack: 1932 Ford Three-Window Coupes |url= https://www.
=== Coupe SUV ===
{{main|Coupe SUV}}
Some [[SUV]]s or [[Crossover (automobile)|crossover]]s with sloping rear rooflines are marketed as "coupe crossover SUVs" or "coupe SUVs", even though they have four side doors for passenger egress to the seats and rear hatches for cargo area access however only a car with 2 doors and no B style are considered a true coupe.
== Positioning in model range ==
[[File:Matador1.JPG|thumb|1974–1978 [[AMC Matador]] coupe]]
In the United States, some coupes are "simply line-extenders two-door variants of family sedans", while others have significant differences from their four-door counterparts.<ref>{{cite web |url=
The [[AMC Matador]] coupe (1974–1978) has a shorter wheelbase with a distinct aerodynamic design and fastback styling, sharing almost nothing with the conventional [[Car body configurations|three-box]] design and more "conservative" four-door versions.<ref>{{cite web|url=
Similarly, the [[Chrysler Sebring]] and [[Dodge Stratus]] coupes and sedans (late-1990 through 2000s), have little in common except their names.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Markus |first1=Frank |title=Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring |url= https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a16580876/dodge-stratus-and-chrysler-sebring-first-drive-review/ |
Coupes may also exist as model lines in their own right, either closely related to other models, but named differently – such as the [[Alfa Romeo GT]] or [[Infiniti Q60]] – or have little engineering in common with other vehicles from the manufacturer – such as the [[Toyota GT86]].
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