What does the French word "coupé", used for two-door automobiles, literally mean?

French coupé is a noun use of the past participle of the verb couper, "to cut". Since the early 19th century it was used for carrosse coupé, "cut-off carriage", a shorter version of the berlin (old type of four-wheeled covered carriage), minus the back seat. The name was first applied to closed two-door automobiles in 1908.