Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Miken · Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544

I understand what a coupe car is. But I often see old cars for sale advertised as a "Doctors Coupe".
Were cars ever manufactured or advertised from new in this form or is it a salesman's term to make a run of the mill car sound a bit more classy?
Mike

goneps · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 5:40 pm Post subject:

My understanding is that a Doctor's Coupe (note the apostrophe!) is a two-seater closed body, ie. no rear seating or dickey seat. In other words, suitable for a doctor making his rounds rather than as a family car.

Richard

Peter_L · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 6:30 pm Post subject:

mikeC · Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 9:58 pm Post subject:

Roger-hatchy · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 2135 Location: Tiptree, Essex

It was already a term used with horse drawn coupe's

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22449 Location: UK

Then you can have "golfer's coupe", with its opening hatch in the side of the body.

Was a "business coupe" similar to a "doctor's coupe" then? ie with no rear seat?

RJ
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Ashley · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 1426 Location: Near Stroud, Glos

I think a business coupe was for reps, so lots of room for luggage and samples, but only two seats.

52classic · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 493 Location: Cardiff.

Rick, you're right about the 'Golfer's Coupe.' I saw one exhibited at the NEC a few years ago. A pre-war car with a top vented windscreen, dickie seat (presumably to carry one's own Caddy) but most importantly, a compartment accessible from outside to take a set of clubs horizontally, behind the front seats.

Clubs to be Hickory shafted of course and plus fours a must to be worn.

petelang · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 444 Location: Nottingham

A lot of our beloved old pre war cars may not have started out as coupe's but a lot have ended up as hen coupe's in barns.
Peter

V8 Nutter · Joined: 27 Aug 2012 Posts: 588

Earlier business coupes tended to be three windows, with either two seats or a single bench seat, and a very long boot. When three windows lost their popularity business coupes were based on the five window, but without the back seat, quite often where the back seat would have been there was a flat deck for displaying samples. Dodge was a bit unusual it was probably the the last company to offer a three window three passenger coupe, that would have been in the 1940's
A few companies offered a business sedan. A two door sedan with a display deck instead of a back seat. Plymouth listed a business coupe as late as 1959. Business coupes and sedans would always have been the part of the cheapest line a company offered.

How long would the samples last on display, in the U.K. today?

Mikey77 · Joined: 10 Jun 2014 Posts: 45 Location: Limoges

I always understood that 'doctors' coupes' were a bit flash and named for the sort of people who could afford something a bit above the ordinary run of the mill.
Back in the mid '60s my family doctor - in whose waiting room I first read Motor Sport and kindled my lifelong interest - had two, I suppose you would have called them, an MGB GT and a Sunbeam Talbot 90. Odd thing was, I never saw him drive either of them at more than about 35mph...