Coachbuilders

Coachbuilders were specialized craftsmen and companies that built custom car bodies, often by hand, for high-end chassis in the early days of motoring. Before mass production, luxury car buyers would purchase a rolling chassis from manufacturers like Duesenberg or Cadillac and have a coachbuilder design and construct a unique body to suit their taste. Notable American coachbuilders included LeBaron, Brunn, and Dietrich, while Europe had names like Figoni et Falaschi and Saoutchik. Though distinct from hot rod and custom car builders, coachbuilders laid the groundwork for the idea of cars as personal expressions of style, influencing generations of customizers to come.