I really enjoyed this post! What a fun way to get around - albeit for short distances in town! Sunday, 29 June The Rumble Seat. A rumble seat American , dicky seat British , aka mother-in-law seat, is an upholstered exterior seat which opens out from the rear deck of an automobile, and seats one or more passengers. As shown in my digital painting of a Buick above, the rumble seat was an inexpensive way for automakers to make what was essentially a two seat car into a four seater. The first mention of rumble seats dates to around The last car to be built with a rumble seat was the Triumph

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But how many know where the term comes from? Like a lot of trimmers, I always assumed that the rumble seat got its name from being situated right above the mufflers, where a sporty roadster would unleash its rumble. Well, not so much. In fact, it pre-dates cars altogether. Back then, a rumble seat or jump seat was merely an un-covered seat-frame attached to the back of a horse carriage that was intended for slaves or servants. This allowed rich folks to keep the help out of their leather-trimmed cabins and show them off as a symbol of their wealth. Sick, right? Although automakers no longer make rumble seats and few offer jump seats, their legacy continues to this day.
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A rumble seat American English , dicky seat , dickie seat or dickey seat British English , also called a mother-in-law seat , [1] is an upholstered exterior seat which folded into the rear of a coach , carriage , or early motorcar. Depending on its configuration, it provided exposed seating for one or two passengers. Additional occasional seating appeared in the latter centuries of evolution of the coach and carriage. The edition of Webster's An American Dictionary of the English Language defines a dickie seat or rumble as "A boot [note 1] with a seat above it for servants, behind a carriage.