[f. jaunting vbl. sb. (see JAUNT v.) + CAR.] A light, two-wheeled vehicle, popular in Ireland, now carrying four persons seated two on each side, either back to back (outside jaunting-car) or facing each other (inside jaunting-car), with a seat in front for the driver. Formerly made for a larger number of passengers: see quot. 1801.
1801. Felton, Carriages (ed. 2), II. App. 5. There has been introduced some of a foreign description, called German Waggons, and Jaunting Carrs. Ibid., 6. The Jaunting Carr is a one horse carriage … so contrived as to carry many passengers; intended for gentlemen to go a pleasuring with their families, they driving themselves. The body is made to project over the wheels, is of a round form, and capacious enough to hold five or six persons comfortable, besides the driver, forming, as it were, a small apartment, and will even afford a small table to stand in the middle.
1829. Blackw. Mag., XXV. 771/2. There is a vehicular machine, peculiar, I believe, to Ireland called ‘an outside jaunting-car!’
1842. S. Lover, Handy Andy, i. 7. He … drove out the nurse and children on the jaunting-car.
1883. S. C. Hall, Retrospect, II. 303. In general there was no way of travelling except by the old jaunting-car.
1894. Hall Caine, Manxman, 351. A company of jolly fellows in a jaunting-car.
