So exactly is a Car Coat?

[beckster]

when I sit in my car my longer coats kinda bunch up. Is a car coat short?

I used to have a wonderful and very long Loden coat with a deep vent from Germany. When I sat in the car the sides splayed out and I could wrap them over the tops of my legs surprising comfortable.

Suppose being comfortable with jacket on in the car is a priority, what kind of jacket does one get?

 

[Dm101]

Short overcoat or top coat?

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[Doctor Damage]

Car coats were a big thing in North America in the 1960s and 1970s and everyone in the older generations had one - all of the men in my family had one. They were basically a normal overcoat or raincoat, usually single breasted, and cut extra short (longer than 3/4 but barely touching the knees or maybe just touching the knees). The idea was that since you're in your heated car you don't need a really long coat, plus a short coat is easier to get in and out of a car while wearing.

It should be pointed out that the term "car coat" can mean almost anything today, much like "blazer" is widely applied to many things which aren't blazers. Back in the day, it was a specific thing though. The wikipedia page is one of those things that is too broad. Of course, most overcoats and raincoats you buy today are so short that they're basically classic car coats, even if most designers would be horrified if you called them that!

 

[Edward]

I always understood a car coat to be a an overcoat that was about the same length as a peacoat, the idea being you don't have to take it off to drive, as it's not long enough to get in the way of your feet or risk fouling the pedals.