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Cabin Lighting - Halogen lamps and/or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) located in a vehicles headliner that illuminate a vehicles interior space in its entirety.
Cabriolet - An early French term meaning folding top, or convertible, but used liberally in the US to meet the whims of manufacturers. The English term is a Drophead Coupe.
Caliper Configuration - A description of the number of hydraulic pistons used in a vehicles brake caliper and their arrangement in relation to each other.
Caliper Type - The type of brake caliper: monoblock, sliding or dual sliding.
Cammer - An extremely high performance engine built by Ford at its Dearborn engine plant in early 1964, the SOHC 427 produced in the area of 700 horsepower in race tune. Supposedly there were about 50 made and was originally designed for NASCAR, but was deemed too exotic to be sanctioned and was banned from NASCAR competition. The Cammer never made it to a production vehicle, but several were known to have made it to the drag strip.
Cap Reduction - Capital reduction. In a vehicle lease, any trade-in amount, cash down payment or rebate amount that reduces the cost of the vehicle being leased (its "capitalized cost").
Capitalized Cost - Often called the "cap cost." The negotiated price of a vehicle to be leased, and one of the components used to determine the monthly lease payment.
Captive Finance Company - An automobile lender that is a subsidiary of an automobile manufacturer and whose principal business includes financing the sales and/or leases of that manufacturers vehicles.
Carbon Dioxide - A naturally occurring "greenhouse gas" that is also a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels and that consists of two carbon atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom.
Carbon Footprint - A measure of a vehicles total consumption of natural resources weighed against the Earths ability to regenerate those resources.
Carbon Monoxide - A "greenhouse gas" that is a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels and that consists of a single carbon atom bonded to a single oxygen atom.
Carburetor - A device used on older internal combustion gasoline engines that is mounted on the engines intake manifold and supplies fuel to the engine.
Cargo Area Features - Built-in amenities that serve a specific purpose in the cargo areas of a vehicle.
Cargo Door Type - The type of cargo door: liftgate, vertical split-hinge or horizontal split-hinge.
Cargo Hauler - A vehicle that is well-adapted for hauling cargo.
Cargo Tie Downs - Hooks, straps or eyelets that function as anchors for cargo nets and ropes used to secure objects.
Carson Top - A custom-made, one-piece, hard or rigid (non-folding), removable convertible top which may be special-made but are often created by removing the original top from a sedan or hardtop. Carson tops are frequently lowered ("chopped") by 2-3 inches.
Cash Rebates - Rebates provided by the manufacturer directly to the customer at the time the vehicle is purchased to lower the final price of the vehicle. Consumers usually may elect to either receive this amount in cash or to credit the rebate as part of the vehicles down payment.
Catalytic Converter - A canister in the exhaust system, usually situated before the muffler, containing a substance that reacts chemically with the exhaust in order to reduce harmful emissions.
Catalytic Converter Heat Shield - A metal panel, which may be insulated, that is used to prevent the catalytic converter heat from harming surrounding areas.
Center Console Trim - Wood, composite, leather or metal adornments intended to supplement the aesthetic elements of a vehicles center console.
Center of Gravity - A hypothetical point at which all of the mass of an object acts as if it were concentrated. For a vehicle, the lower the center of gravity the less likely the vehicle will be to roll over when it is destabilized.
Certification Sales Region - A geographic area (usually identified by the states of which it consists) in which a specific vehicle is certified by the EPA to be sold to the public.
Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle - A used vehicle offered for sale by a franchised dealer for that vehicle make and who follows the manufacturers requirements for "certifying" the vehicle (including inspection and service) and which, upon sale, is accompanied by a manufacturer-backed warranty.
Channeled - Most cars prior to the 1940s had their bodies placed on top of their frames. A channeled car has its body lowered over the frame, hiding the frame rails.
Character Line - A design incorporated into flat panels to give them strength.
Charcoal Canister - A device that captures raw fuel vapors (hydrocarbons) from the vehicles fuel tank and carburetor bowl before they can escape into the air.
Child Seat - An additional seat and harness specifically designed for the safety of small children and designed to work with a vehicles built-in restraint system.
Childproof Safety Feature(s) - The option(s) to disable a vehicles windows, door locks and/or passenger air bag in order to prevent injury to children.
Choke Linkage - On a carbureted engine, the assembly of parts that controls a valve that limits incoming cold air until the engine reaches operating temperature and is able to more efficiently vaporize fuel.
Chopped - A roof that's had sections removed from the pillars and welded back on in a lower position. A "two-inch chop" has had two vertical inches of metal removed. Usually a part of a custom hot rod design.
Christmas Tree - A series of lights used at the start of a drag race.
Chummy - An early English term referring to the seating arrangement: two standard seats up front and two smaller, 'occasional' seats in the rear.
City Fuel Economy - The average number of miles a vehicle is able to travel using one gallon of fuel according to EPA simulated laboratory tests of city driving conditions.
Classic - There are many variations of this definition. Many define is as any car older than 25 years. It can also mean a rare or very unusual car. Others define it as the range of vehicles built mostly from 1925 to 1948. The Classic Car Era defines this as cars and trucks built between 1946 and 1972.
Classic Car Era - The Classic Car Era featured cars and trucks built between 1946 and 1972.
Climate Control - The computer-controlled regulation of heating and air conditioning systems to accommodate a user-specified temperature setting.
Climate-Controlled Seat Filter - Air filter for air-conditioned seats.
Closer - An experienced dealership salesman or sales manager who attempts, towards the end of the negotiation process, to either improve the deal for the dealership or to persuade a hesitant buyer to commit to the purchase.
Club Coupe - A two-door hard-top with a small rear seat.
Clutch Bushing and Linkage - The parts of the mechanical connection between the clutch and clutch pedal in a non-hydraulic clutch system.
Clutch Fluid - The liquid used in a hydraulic clutch system that helps disengage the clutch from the flywheel.
Clutch Fork Ball Stud - The pivot point for the clutch fork in the clutch housing of a manual transmission.
Clutch Lines & Hoses - In a hydraulically actuated clutch, the tubes that carry fluid between the clutch master cylinder and the slave cylinder.
Clutch Master Cylinder - In a manual-transmission vehicle with a hydraulically actuated clutch, a small-bore hydraulic cylinder mechanically connected to the clutch pedal that actuates a slave cylinder, which in turn actuates the clutch fork that disengages the clutch when the clutch pedal is depressed.
Clutch Pedal - A pedal located on the floor of the vehicle to the left of the brake pedal that, when depressed, disengages the clutch from the flywheel.
Coach - A two door sedan.
Coach-Line - A painted accent line on the body of a car. The modern equivalent is the pinstripe.
Collapsible Steering Column - A steering column that collapses in the event of a hard frontal impact to reduce the risk of injury to the driver.
Collision Insurance - Vehicle insurance that cover damage caused by a collision with another vehicle or object.
Combined Fuel Economy - The average number of miles a vehicle is able to travel using one gallon of fuel according to EPA simulated laboratory tests that consist of 55% highway and 45% city driving conditions.
Compass - A digital or analog display that indicates the direction a vehicle is facing.
Comprehensive Insurance - Vehicle insurance that cover damage other than that caused by a collision with another vehicle or object.
Compression Ratio - The ratio of the volume of a vehicles engine cylinder with its piston at bottom dead center to the volume of the same cylinder with its piston at top dead center.
Concours - A term that refers to a car show of "very fine" vehicles.
Concours d'Elegance - A car show, usually open only to higher-end or luxury antique automobiles, held in a lush setting such as a country club. The literal translation is "contest of elegance".
Console - A storage area located in a vehicles dash or headliner, between seats or underneath the seats.
Constant Velocity (CV) Joints - They are located on either end of the drive axles and transmit engine power while enabling full steering and suspension movement. Black accordion boots cover and protect these joints and hold lubricant.
Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) - A transmission with a continuously variable drive ratio (as opposed to conventionally stepped gear ratios) that maintains a steady acceleration curve with no pauses for gear changes.
Convertible - A car with a folding top and windows. In the US from 1927 on, the term was used to mean a car with a soft, retractable top that was hooked permanently to the bodywork, and therefore not removable like a roadster's was. Other requisites were side windows that opened and the absence of any framework above the waist of the car apart from the windshield.
Convertible Roadster - A convertible is an open car with windows; a roadster is an open car without windows. Used by Lincoln, Chrysler and a few others around 1930 to emphasize sportiness.
Convertible Roof Type - The type of convertible roof tops, including soft tops, hard tops, T-tops, Targa-style tops, and tops that are manual or power operated.
Convertible Victoria - A four passenger, two-door, two-window convertible.
Convertible Wind Blocker - The glass or plastic shield that prevents reversion of high-velocity air as it passes over the low-pressure, low-velocity air in the passenger compartment.
Coolant - A mixture of water and ethylene glycol that has both a higher boiling point and a lower freezing point than plain water. Also referred to as "Antifreeze."
Cooling Fan and Shroud - A mechanically, hydraulically or electrically driven fan that pulls cooling air through a vehicles radiator; the shroud forms a direct passage between the radiator and fan, improving the fans effectiveness.
Cornering Brake Control - A feature of some antilock brake systems that proportions and applies brake force in order to prevent oversteer.
Cornering Lights - A pair of white driving lights located at the two front corners of a vehicle designed to aid during cornering.
Coupe - A two-door closed body type that is distinguished from a sedan by its sleeker body and shorter roof.
Coupe Chauffeur - An open compartment for the chauffeur followed by a closed compartment for passengers. Also known as a Brougham and a Coupe Limousine.
Coupe DeVille - Originally any car with a fixed roof over the rear seat and a convertible roof over the front seat. Commonly used in recent years to describe a roof with the front half covered in fabric to look like the original. Also known as a Town Coupe.
Coupe Limousine - Chauffeur-driven car with the passengers fully enclosed and the chauffeur exposed. Body has rear quarter windows.
Coupelet - Ford used this term to describe a Model T, two-seat Cabriolet.
C-Pillar - The third pair of structural posts, following the B-Pillars, supporting the roof and rear window.
Crankcase Breather - A ventilation system or device that allows excessive crankcase pressure to escape.
Crankcase Depression Regulator Valve - A valve that prevents excess pressure from building in the crankcase (which could lead to oil leakage past the seals).
Crankcase Ventilation (CCV) Filter - A filter that prevents foreign particles from entering the crankcase.
Crash Box - A transmission that has no synchromesh. This type of transmission must be double-clutched to reduce wear.
Crash Test Ratings - Ratings that represent a vehicles performance in various crash tests, published by the organization(s) that conduct such tests.
Credit Score - A number (referred to as a "score"), prepared by a company in the business of scoring individuals creditworthiness or in accordance with algorithms it has established, that represents a judgment as to the individuals creditworthiness and which is based on an analysis of data reflected in his or her credit report and other personal information.
Credit Tier - The credit "category" in which a consumer is placed by credit-rating companies, based on the consumers personal credit history. A consumers credit tier helps predict how financial institutions will view that consumer as a financial risk (i.e., the likelihood that he or she will make payments on time and ultimately repay the loan).
Credit Union - A financial institution that is owned by its account holders, membership of which is based on specified criteria (for example affiliation with an employer or union).
Cruise Control - A device that, when engaged by the driver, automatically controls a vehicles speed.
Cruiser Skirts - An optional accessory similar in function to fender skirts but normally longer. Cruiser skirts fit on the outside of the body of the car and are most often used in customization work.
Crumple Zone - A section of a vehicles structure that collapses during impact to absorb energy.
Curb Weight - The total weight of a vehicle, including a full tank of fuel, all fluids and standard equipment, but without any cargo or passengers.
Customer Cash Incentive - A cash payment made by the manufacturer of a vehicle to a customer to incentivize its purchase.
Customized - Refers to any modification of a car other than the restoration to the original condition. This may mean something as simple as adding a new engine or power options to changing the car so radically that its original nature is barely recognizable.
Cutting Coils - A method of lowering a car's ride height by cutting out sections of the coil springs.
Cycle Fenders - Free standing fenders that conform to the shape of the tire, like those used on a bicycle or motorcycle.
Cylinder Configuration - The arrangement of an engines cylinders.
Cylinder Deactivation - A feature of some engines that allows the engine to turn off two or more cylinders in order to maximize fuel efficiency.
Cylinder Head Bolts - Bolts that clamp an engines cylinder heads to the engine block.
Here is a list of various Automotive Definitions. These are not specific to just Classic Cars, but covers all Automotive Definitions in general. This is not an all inclusive list and as we come across more, we will add them here. Drop us a note if you see something we missed.
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