What's the difference between a coupe and hardtop charger???

drobertson · Sep 27, 2015

My car is a 1973 Charger, and I came across this:

and clearly, there is a coupe charger, and a hardtop. Both available with the rallye package. What's the difference between coupe and hardtop? I'd like to know so I can identify exactly what my car is.:hello2:

Montclaire · Sep 27, 2015

Coupe had fixed quarter windows.

drobertson · Sep 27, 2015

Montclaire said:
Coupe had fixed quarter windows.

Wow. I never knew that. So the hardtop cars had roll down quarter windows, and coupes didn't? I guess my car is a hardtop then, because the quarter windows roll down.

monaco66coupe · Sep 27, 2015

a good example is the Demon (duster) was a coupe, dart swinger was a hardtop. Correct,

Archie340 · Sep 27, 2015

Also, hardtops usually have better "appointments" than coupe's. In most cases with a coupe think base level interior, trim etc.

Cranky · Sep 27, 2015

It also depends on the year when the factory called it a coupe lol. My dad bought a new 56 Plymouth Belvedere Sports Coupe.....all the windows rolled down. This subject was brought up some time back and there were a lot of interesting answers. For example, the roadrunner coupe which has a post so some just call it a post car. My 66 Belvedere is a post car but it's a sedan but I suppose it's because the doors have a full window frame while the roadrunner did not.

Bruzilla · Sep 27, 2015

Technically all two-door cars are coupes. It used to be there were hardtops and convertibles. Then when manufacturers started deleting the B pillar from some coupes, folks started calling a coupe without a B pillar a hardtop convertible because only convertibles didn't have B pillars. Obviously this caused a lot of confusion, so makers started referring to coupes with no B pillar coupes and those with a B pillar hardtops.

Later, as we see time and again, manufacturers started applying their own definitions to cars and we ended up with Chrysler using roll-up windows as a distinction.

monaco66coupe · Sep 28, 2015

The States are goofy too. I have a 67 GTX hardtop, but the state calls it a 2DR sedan.

droptop · Sep 29, 2015

The third and fourth numbers in the VIN on a hardtop should be 23 and a coupe should be 21.

Nacho-RT74 · Oct 1, 2015

coupes WL21
Hardtops WH23...

although the REAL statement for coupe or hardtop design is the 1 for coupes or 3 for hardtop on the 4th digit ( 9 should be fastback ). the 2nd character is just the price class or models, L if low price, H if High price ( Then S if R/T meaning Special, M if Superbee meaning Medium, P for Premium )

the body is EXACTLY the same on coupes or hardtops, just the fixed window mounted on a bracket on top of quarter frame instead on a regulator and the vertical seal mold on quarter glass SIMULATING the B pillar a real coupe would get

moparmarks · Oct 1, 2015

Like stated couples have fix quarter glass. My 2004 Sebring 2-dr couple has fixed quarter glass.
Hardtops were actually designed from droptops thus the name hardtop.
Sedans have a frame around the side glass.

super-bee_ski · Oct 1, 2015

Some call them a "Post" car, as is the case with my 70 Superbee.
There is a "Post" when you roll down the window.

As stated in Cranky's input. (Post)

moparmarks · Oct 1, 2015

super-bee_ski said:
Some call them a "Post" car, as is the case with my 70 Superbee.
There is a "Post" when you roll down the window.

As stated in Cranky's input. (Post)

Yep. B-pillar post but it is not a hardtop. Hardtops have no post. 68-70B they made both the B-post and the hardtop.

What's the difference between a coupe and hardtop charger???

drobertson

Well-Known Member

Montclaire

Well-Known Member

drobertson

Well-Known Member

monaco66coupe

Well-Known Member

Archie340

Well-Known Member

Cranky

Banned Henchman #27

Bruzilla

Well-Known Member

monaco66coupe

Well-Known Member

droptop

Well-Known Member

Nacho-RT74

Well-Known Member

moparmarks

I'm just a guy with a screwdriver.

super-bee_ski

FBBO Gold Member

moparmarks

I'm just a guy with a screwdriver.

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