Phaeton or Touring car

Is there a difference between the two or just wording?

Just wording...a phaeton or touring is a car with no roll up windows, front and back seat (and possibly fold up jump seats) that seats 4 to 7 passengers, and has a fabric top that can be folded and put down.

It seems to me that "touring" was more prevalent in the teens and twenties, and "phaeton", as it applies to cars (it was a term for certain horse carriages in the 19th century) seems to be more late '20's and early 30's...

It can get confusing in later cars, as my '37 Cord is called a phaeton, yet has roll up windows in doors and drop down windows in quarters... And many descriptions of closed cars will say "touring sedan"....

Whatever the factory chose to call it. Ford from 1903 thru the end of Model Ts in 1927 called them tourings but starting in 1928 with the Model A they were phaetons.

There was never a formal definition done by any trade organization or government entity.

Look at what today carries the term cabriolet!

I was always under the impression that the phaetons were a more expensive version of a touring car.

Since this was posted in the Chrysler Forum, I'll answer the question as it pertains to 1925 Chryslers (and likely others as well). "28 Chrysler" is correct, the phaeton was the more expensive version of the touring car. The cars were virtually the same mechanically, with the differences being entirely in the trim level. Below is an excerpt from a 1925 Chrysler sales brochure which describes the differences as Chrysler saw it.

Does any body know if Chrysler had a 27 Phaeton?

Does any body know if Chrysler had a 27 Phaeton?

In 1927 there were Chrysler Model 50 tourings, Model 60 tourings, Model 70 phaetons & sport phaetons and Imperial 80 phaetons & sport phaetons.