Landaulet (wagon)

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Design of a landaulette (Bamberg, 1822)
Landaulet carriage (horse cab), built in 1898

The landaulet or landaulette is a two-horse, four-wheeled touring carriage for two people, with a raised driver's seat and a folding top in the rear of the body. The word landaulet is derived from Landauer , a carriage that can be driven closed and open.

etymology

The word landaulet is a diminutive of the older landau . The origin of the name is again not exactly clarified; it may be the transfer of a place name ( Landau in der Pfalz ) to products that were first manufactured there or were of particularly high quality. The name Landauer has been known in Europe since the 18th century; Landaulet is a little younger and has also established itself internationally.

Origin and development

As the term suggests, Landaulet was derived from Landauer . This is typically one to six-horse, four-wheeled, open travel and representation car for four passengers (plus a fifth on the driver's seat). The passenger compartment has a symmetrical profile, the passengers sit opposite each other. The convertible top is in two parts; one half is folded forwards and one half back. Some landauers have a fixed roof section in the middle of the superstructure, above the doors. There were lighter versions for wage carriages like the two-horse Viennese Fiaker .

  • The landaulet with one bench was developed from landauers like this German stagecoach with two opposite benches ("vis-à-vis").

  • Early landaulette (1816). The short design with asymmetrical profile is clearly visible.

  • Early landaulette (1816). Even "fixed" roof elements such as girders can be folded away to create a completely open compartment. This version has an additional seat in the rear for servants.

  • A British statesman's landaulet carriage, around 1845. These carriages were mostly driven by two horses.

The landaulet is shorter and lighter, the passenger compartment is designed for two instead of four people. It is driven in two horses; the driver's seat is higher than that of the landau. Originally it could be opened completely, but finally a shape prevailed in which the front part of the roof is fixed and the rear part can be opened with a folding top. This aspect is also seen as typical of the derived automobile body.

The modern landaulet

Queen Elisabeth II in the Mercedes 600 Landaulet (1965)

Unlike the Landau, the Landaulet was able to hold its own for a long time as a body design in the automotive industry . At the beginning it was offered in numerous variants, but today it has a niche role as a representative and state car .

In the past, landaulets were often used as state cars, from which the statesman could stand up to the people. Because they are an easy target for expressions of displeasure or assassinations in a landaulet , statesmen today usually prefer closed special protection vehicles.

Remarks

  1. ↑ The etymology of the term Landauer is discussed in more detail in the corresponding article .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Encyclopedia Britannica Online; Landaulet as a carriage design

Web links

Commons : Landaulet (carriage)  - collection of images, videos and audio files