What does Phaeton mean?
A phaeton (also phaéton) is a form of sporty open carriage popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Drawn by one or two horses, a phaeton typically features a minimal very lightly sprung body atop four extravagantly large wheels. A phaeton is a style of open automobile without any fixed weather protection, which was popular from the 1900s until the 1930s. It is an automotive equivalent of the horse-drawn fast, lightweight phaeton carriage.
What makes a Phaeton unique?
Under the hood, the VW Phaeton had quite the selection of interesting motors. While the 4. V8 would be enough to get most people excited, the Phaeton also came with a buttery-smooth 6. W12 or an exceptional 5. V10. The latter two engines are what made the VW Phaeton stand out. Although the Phaeton was replaced in China – one of its biggest markets – by the Volkswagen Phideon, the rest of the world never received a successor. The drivable prototype seen in these pictures was produced as part of the final decision to decide whether to put the car into production or not.The initial idea that would become the Phaeton was the product of Ferdinand Piëch, who was chairman of the Volkswagen Group at the time. His goal was to produce a comfort-oriented luxury car, as Volkswagen was being threatened by direct competition from brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.