Sedan definition, was: <VV> 2 door vs 4 door

[airvair]

With all the talk on this subject, I'd like to note one thing about the
word "sedan" and that is that, by definition, it does NOT designate the
number of doors. I am surprised (and disappointed) that there has been a
concerted effort in the last couple of decades to redefine the word,
when historically the meaning has been well-established for many decades
if not centuries.

The first question one has to ask in identifying a car body's identity
is: 1)Does it have a fixed (main frame portion) or retractable roof? If
retractable, it's a convertable. If not,

2)Does it have a full-length "B" pillar? If it does not, it's a hardtop.
If it does,

3)Does it have a full-length roof, shortened roof, or extended roof? If
it's extended, it's a wagon. If it's shortened, it's a coupe.

Only if it has a full length roof is it a sedan.

Note that there was NO mention of the number of doors.

To place the Corvair models accurately: the early 2door is a sedan,
specifically a coupe, or more specifically a club coupe; the late 2door
is a hardtop coupe; the late 4door is a 4door hardtop; and the early
4door is a 4door sedan. (Note that I did NOT use the word "sedan" to
designate the number of doors.)

So technically speaking, the only Corvair sedans are the early cars,
while there are no sedans in the late series. With modern cars, almost
ALL new cars on the market (that aren't wagons or convertables) are
sedans.

-Mark