The 1928-31 Ford Model A was offered in a multitude of body styles. Two that are often confused are the Sport Coupe and Cabriolet, but there are easy ways to tell them apart.

From its introduction on December 2, 1927, the 1928-31 Model A Ford was offered in a broad variety of body styles, and more were added each year. The lineup for 1928 included a Sport Coupe, a two-place coupe with a fabric top that was styled to mimic a cabriolet—though the roof was solidly fixed in place. Its landau irons were purely decorative. In the following year a real Cabriolet was introduced, i.e. a convertible coupe with an actual folding top. As a result, it’s only natural that some confusion could arise between the two styles, especially among casual observers.

Compared to the Model A Roadster, the drop-top Cabriolet offered greater weather protection with a fixed windshield, roll-up glass windows instead of side curtains, and folding door posts. Naturally, the extras came at a price. In 1930, the Cabriolet listed at $625, while a Standard Roadster was priced at $435, the De Luxe Roadster at $520, and the Sport Coupe at $525. While the Cabriolet seated only two (and two more outdoors in the rumble seat), it was one of the more expensive styles in the Model A lineup due to the complicated top construction.

While the Sport Coupe and Cabriolet bodies have significant differences, they are not so obvious from the middle distance. However, there are two easy ways to tell them apart (above). First, the Sport Coupe has a sun visor over the windshield header, while the Cabriolet does not. Also, the Sport Coupe’s simulated landau irons are partly painted, partly plated, while they are all chrome on the Cabriolet. By the way, there was also a fabric-topped Model A Business Coupe (minus the landau irons) but it’s not likely to be mistaken for anything else.

Through the four years of Model A production, the Sport Coupe outsold the Cabriolet by a significant margin, but in the later years Sport Coupe volume declined as the simulated convertible-coupe style fell out of fashion. There was a Sport Coupe for 1932 (below), but only around 3,500 were produced. For 1933 the Sport Coupe was discontinued, and there were only real cabriolets at Ford for the remainder of the decade.