In the early years of motoring nearly all cars were open, mainly because an open body was lighter, and there was no point in over-burdening the low-powered engines of the day. Since motoring was a pastime, weather protection was not a serious issue. If it was wet, you took the horse-drawn brougham to the nearest station. All long-distance journeys were made by train. The first people to demand closed cars were doctors, who had to make calls in all weathers. Their cars were usually two-seaters, known as Doctors' Coupes. Closed cars for four or more passengers were usually chauffeur-driven and were known as limousines when fully closed, or landaulettes if the rear could be opened up. The closed four-seater owner-driver car, known as the saloon, or sedan, only appeared around 1915. Henry Ford made his first saloon in this year, on the Model T chassis, and was followed by Dodge in 1917. In both America and Europe the saloon was slow to catch on at first; in 1919 10% of all American cars were closed, yet by 1930 the figure was almost 90%. The all-steel body, made by giant presses, took over from the mid 1920s. Though expensive to install, the presses turned out cheaper cars so long as they were made in large numbers. In England, William Morris was the first to use all-steel bodies, and in France, AndrΘ Citr÷en. During the 1930s, saloon bodies became more streamlined, led by the Chrysler Airflow of 1934. The most important development in post-war years has been the hatchback, a saloon with a fully opening door at the back, which has become the most popular style for the smaller car. The Renault 5, Fiat 127, Volkswagen Polo and Golf and Rover Metro are just a few examples of this universal style. Conventional saloons are still seen in more expensive cars like Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
