1927 Chevrolet Capitol AA Landau Sports Coupe

[dwpirkeyjr]

I recently purchased this car and I think it is a Cabriolet rather than a Sports Coupe, because it has a rumble seat step on the rear right fender. The trunk area was dissembled but it appears it hinges from the bottom and there is a second set of hinges on the car that look like the side bars of the seat, keeping it from going back and hitting the spare tire holder. How can I tell one from the other??

[Barry Wolk]

A cabriolet is a convertible and a coupe is an enclosed car. Am I missing something?

I've seen both coupes and cabriolets with rumble seats.

[aacalifeer]

You may be refuring to a Sports Coupe as what Ford called their Model A with a fake convertible top. It looked like it would fold down on the inside and outside but it did not. Chevrolet offered a Sports Cabriolet with a dummy convertible top with 41,137 being built all I belive with Rumble Seats and a 2 passenger Coupe with I believe all 124,101 being built with a trunk. Hope that helps.

[dwpirkeyjr]

I think you are missing the specific nature of the definition of cabriolet and coupe as it refers to the 1927 Chevrolet.

My research shows 8 auto models for that year. There were 1.touring,2.roadster,3.sport cabriolet,4.coupe, 5.coach,6.sedan,7.landau sedan and 8.imperial landau sedan.

The term cabriolet does not mean necessarily convertible, I think.

It is my belief that any 1927 Chevrolet Capitol that has a rumble seat is automatically a cabriolet as it is the only one listed as a 2+2 passenger car. Also the trunk hinges at the top (latch at bottom) on a coupe and hinges from the bottom (latch at the top) on a cabriolet???

[dwpirkeyjr]

That is correct, the top is called a LANDAU top. The 1927 SPORT CABRIOLET was the only "SPORT" titled car as the coupe does not carry the term "SPORT". If it is a "SPORT" it is a CABRIOLET, I think, and all SPORT CABRIOLETS are 2+2 passenger with a rumble seat. A coupe has no rumble seat as the trunk hinges at the top and on a rumble seat it hinges at the bottom,correct??

[CarlLaFong]

Chev erroniously called the car a cabriolet, even though it was not, according to industry standard. The addition or subtraction of a rumbleseat means nothing. Coupes could be had either way as could roadsters.

[dwpirkeyjr]

How does one tell the difference between a Coupe and a Cabriolet if they both the landau tops and both could have a rumble seat?

[dwpirkeyjr]

I have been unable to find any pictures of a 1927 Chevrolet Coupe that had a rumble seat that was not a Cabriolet. The trunk hinges opposite of a Coupe on a Cabriolet. A coupe trunk opens from the bottom and a cabriolet opens from the top. I have found no coupes with a step that were not cabriolets. A cabriolet has a different fender, I am specifically inquiring about a 1927 Chevrolet and not an "in general" answer about the entire industry.

[Rick Hoover]

I have never seen or heard of any 1927 Chevrolet coupe that had a rumble seat. Only the Sports Cabriolet had one and it was the first time Chevrolet offered a rumble seat. And in 1928, Chevrolet continued the Sports Cabriolet, but also introduced a Convertible Sports Cabriolet with a rumble as well. The first time Chevrolet had a rumble seat in a regular coupe, was in 1929 and it was called the Sports Coupe. I hope this helps.

[dwpirkeyjr]

Rick,

Thank you so much for helping to confirm what I suspected.

I purchased a 1927 Coupe, (suppossedly). The car was partly disassembled in the trunk area but I found a couple steps, in a box and a hole in the right fender, which to me meant Cabriolet. Also the rumble seat retainer to keep it from going back too far was still in the car.I was glad as the cabriolet is more rare and desirable.

I believe you have hit on the right answer. Some of my responders were talking in general and not specific to the year in question which was very important due to the confusion of using the Cabriolet term to mean something rather than convertible and the fact that it was the first year for the rumble seat in a chevrolet.

Pirkey

[DLynskey]

The responders are correct, the "Sport Cabriolet" had a fixed top in 1927, a folding top in 1928. The Cabriolet had a rumble seat, the coupe didn't. In 1927 the Cabriolet had a roof that was about 3 inches lower than the coupe, the same height as the 1928 coupe. The doors were also shorter with the difference above the belt line. The 1927 Cabriolet had a windshield that folded out from the bottom while the coupe windshield rolled up for ventilation. The Cabriolet had a cloth top while the coupe was black vinyl-type material. I used to have a 1927 coupe and this info is based on comparing it with several Cabriolets at VCCA meets.

[dwpirkeyjr]

Are you sure there was a difference in the 1927 top materials or was it just the colors that were different? I thought they both had an identical landau top. However,I have seen more Cabriolet pictures with white tops and coupes with black tops. The old ads show a white top on the cabriolets. Did 1927 cabriolets have white tops( cloth) and coupes black tops (leatherette vinyl)?

Pirkey

[dwpirkeyjr]

What books does one need to make a good daily driver out of a 1927 Chevrolet Capitol AA Sport Cabriolet. I ordered the 1927 SHOP MANUAL, 1927 BODY MANUAL and 1927 SERVICE NEWS. Also where can I order parts? Any good suppliers out there?

Pirkey

[Guest rbl2]

I've gotton 95% or more of my parts from Gary Wallace .

He's a very friendly person as well as knowledgable.

[dwpirkeyjr]

Bill,

Thanks for the info on Gary Wallace. Has there ever been any numbers run that tell maybe how many of the 41,000+ 1927 Cabriolets are still around?

Pirkey

[DLynskey]

You'll have better luck asking these questions on the VCCA board, www.vccachat.org That's where the 4-cylinder Chev experts hang out.

[dwpirkeyjr]

Thanks, I am new to these vintage cars.

Pirkey